Of Promise Keeping and Friend Saving
by CamsthiSky
Summary: Who knew the mighty Strawhat crew could be taken down by an illness? Luffy sure didn't. Desperate to save his friends, Luffy and Zoro embark on a journey to a mysterious island that holds dangers, secrets, and...a member of Blackbeard's crew? All to find an ingredient for Chopper's remedy. Can Luffy and Zoro uncover the secrets in time to save their friends? Or will it be too late?
1. Chapter 1

**As a general rule, I like to keep my stories on a USB. It's because of this that I am able to post this whole story today! Today is my post date for One Piece Big Bang, and although I wrote this chapter back in December and it's not the best, I'm proud to say that I finished my first One Piece multi-chapter fic! For someone who has only done one-shots for One Piece and has trouble prioritizing, it's a pretty big deal.**

**Read and Review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of One Piece**

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Chopper woke from his fitful rest when he heard the door to his office creak open. "Luffy?" Chopper asked tentatively, looking at the newcomer in surprise. The doctor sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He had been working on a new remedy and must have dozed off. One glance at the clock told the reindeer that it hadn't been for more than a few minutes.

The captain was pale and trembling, eyes wide and unseeing, which was so unlike Luffy. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Luffy slowly shook his head and, for the first time in Chopper's entire time knowing him, Luffy seemed to be at a loss for words.

The small blue-nosed reindeer ran over to Luffy and tugged on his captain's shorts, panic starting to overtake him at Luffy's silence. What could have caused the captain to act so unlike himself? Luffy just gaped, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, no words making it past his lips.

"Luffy!" the reindeer cried. "What's wrong?!"

"Z-Zoro...he..."

Chopper was surprised the teen even managed a full word, let alone two. Luffy was in some sort of shock, and he needed someone to help him calm down. Who better than a doctor? At least, that's what Chopper's rational side was telling him. But before he could help Luffy, he had to stop himself from panicking.

"Okay Luffy," Chopper placated, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. He shifted into his heavy point and knelt down in front of his captain, looking into those wide eyes. "I need you to breathe. Take a deep breath, and then tell me what's wrong."

Luffy complied, sucking in a ridiculous amount of oxygen into his rubber lungs. It caused him to inflate just like a balloon. After a few seconds, the teen let the air out, returning to normal.

Chopper sometimes forgot how much Luffy used his powers. They were used in everything the captain did. Bouncing here, stretching there, sling-shotting himself everywhere else—they all utilized Luffy's devil fruit powers in some way or another. Chopper could only imagine how draining it must be. No wonder he ate so much food!

"Better?"

Luffy nodded, greedily inhaling air. Finally, Luffy seemed to be ready to speak. Taking another deep gulp of air, Luffy quickly began to explain, but his words were so slurred together that Chopper couldn't even begin to comprehend what the captain was saying.

"Zoro'sawakeandsomethingweirdishappening!"

"What about a zebra?" Chopper wondered aloud.

Luffy perked up, his earlier attitude completely forgotten. "There's a zebra?! That's so cool! I wanna ride it!"

Chopper was beyond confused now. "Weren't you the one who was talking about a zebra?"

"No," Luffy said, like it should be obvious or something. "I was talking about Zoro."

Chopper twitched in agitation, but continued on as if the zebra had never been mentioned. Once Luffy got distracted, it could possibly take hours to get the captain back on track.

"What about Zoro?" he asked cautiously.

Chopper had just been tending to Zoro not half an hour before, and the swordsman hadn't looked at all ready to be out of bed. With his pale face and feverish skin, Zoro had seemed closer to dead than alive. And putting together the fact Luffy came in running with a shocked expression and Zoro's latest condition, Chopper feared the worst.

It was no secret Luffy valued his crew mates' lives, so when Luffy had come to him, Chopper knew something had happened-good or bad, only Luffy knew. Though, the captain would be laughing if anything remotely good had happened. Right? Or maybe not. Luffy was hard to predict, so Chopper supposed this could just be another thing he had to accept.

"R-Right," Luffy said, remembering the reason he had come to the doctor in the first place. "Zoro, he...something weird is going on with him."

"Weird in what way? And why were you with Zoro?"

Luffy's eyes widened as he recalled the last few minutes. "It was so weird! One minute, I'm on the deck alone and the next, he's coming out of the cabin complaining about wanting a nap!"

"Did he look okay?" Chopper asked.

"I dunno," Luffy shrugged. "But I was wondering why he wanted a nap when he just woke up."

Chopper sighed. The only weird part about Luffy's story was Zoro seemingly well enough to be up and around when he had been practically laying on his death bed just an hour ago. Actually, now that Chopper thought about it, Zoro pushing himself and refusing to stay in bed, even when in danger of dying, was not strange at all.

"So Zoro's feeling well enough to walk around?"

"That's what I thought, too!" Luffy exclaimed. "But then when I told him about having a party to celebrate, he told me he would only agree as long as there wasn't any alcohol!"

Chopper's jaw dropped to the ground. Zoro had refused alcohol? Zoro, the heaviest drinker the Sunny carried, wanted to have a party without any booze. The idea was completely and totally absurd!

"M-Maybe he's not as well as you think," Chopper suggested after a stunned silence. "I mean, just because he was the first to get sick doesn't mean he's going to be the first one to get better."

"Why not?" Luffy demanded. "If he gets sick first he should get better first!"

Chopper, despite the conversation, felt nothing but relief. He hadn't heard Luffy-logic in a couple of days. As irrational as Luffy's thinking sometimes was, Chopper had still missed talking to his usual playmate. He had been too busy caring for the crew to hold an actual conversation with the teen lately. He was glad that he was getting a chance now.

"That's not how illnesses work, Luffy," Chopper tried to explain rationally. "Different people fight diseases off at different rates."

"But Zoro's strong," Luffy pointed out. "So he can get better in no time."

"I'm not sure a week is no time," Chopper said. "And besides, what about Sanji? Isn't he strong, too?"

The cook wasn't the last to fall ill, but he wasn't among the first. Still, it hadn't been much of a surprise when Sanji had caught the disease. Sanji had spent a lot of time helping Chopper take care of the crew (really just Nami and Robin; the cook refused to even come near Zoro, afraid of the swordsman spreading his "germs"). It was one reason why Chopper had refused to let Luffy do anything to help him care for his crew. Chopper didn't want Luffy to fall ill as well.

"But Zoro was first," Luffy emphasized, crossing his arms defiantly. Chopper signed. He was fighting a losing battle trying to convince Luffy to see any way but his own way of thinking. Sometimes Luffy could be assertive about the things he was passionate about, like meat and being the Pirate King.

"Okay," Chopper gave in, unwilling to indulge in this pointless argument any longer. "So, where is Zoro now?"

"Right here."

Once again Chopper's office door opened-more like slammed into the wall-and in walked Zoro. Except, it didn't look like Zoro. The pale face, the shadows under the eyes, the scars, they all made him look like a...

"Ah!" Chopper screamed, switching back into Brain Point and scurrying to hide behind Luffy. Although, hide was a relative term seeing as the bottom half of the little reindeer stuck out from behind the captain. He had gotten so frightened he had reverted back to his old habits of hiding the wrong way. "Why is Zoro a zombie?!"

Luffy looked bewildered at Chopper's outburst and looked the Zoro-zombie over. Hitting his fist to his palm, Luffy had a sudden epiphany. "He kind of looks like that old man with really bad injuries!"

Zoro hit Luffy over the head. "Why are you comparing me to that old geezer?!"

Luffy just laughed, not at all affected by the punch that just bounced off his rubber head. He waved the swordsman off, chuckling. "Just be thankful you're not a zebra!"

"How the hell is that supposed to make me feel any better?" Zoro growled out. "And what do zebras have to do with any of this?"

"They don't."

"Then why the hell did you bring it up?!"

Chopper smiled softly at the bickering pair, but he couldn't help but worry. Zoro, despite not being bedridden anymore, still looked absolutely horrible. His breaths rattled slightly in his chest, he was sweating, and he looked like he could collapse at any given moment. How could Chopper not be worried when the swordsman looked so bad?

Another thing he was worried about was Luffy's health. He didn't know whether the illness was contagious or not, so, despite Luffy's strong immune system, Chopper had ordered Luffy to stay away from his sick friends, even going so far as to make him sleep in the rarely used captain's quarters. Luffy hadn't gotten sick yet, but that may have been because of the doctor's orders of staying away.

"But I want some meat!"

Chopper snapped back to reality, realizing he had zoned out and missed part of the conversation.

"Not my problem."

"Why not?" Luffy whined.

Zoro snorted and crossed his arms, refusing to look at Luffy in fear of the kicked puppy dog look getting to him.

"Why would I make you food when you damn well know Sanji has leftovers in the fridge?" Zoro asked, sounding exasperated.

Luffy's head jerked up in the middle of Zoro's statement, but, unlike what Chopper had been expecting, it wasn't in excitement. Rather, Luffy seemed rather puzzled.

"Did you just say Sanji?!" Luffy choked out.

Chopper's brow furrowed in confusion while Zoro just looked plain annoyed.

"Yeah? That's the cook's name, isn't it?"

Chopper had to agree with Zoro on this one. Sanji—tall, blond hair covering one eye, curly eyebrows—was their cook, so why was Luffy so freaked out about Zoro saying...oh. Oh. It made sense now, why Luffy was so shocked. Zoro had said Sanji, not "love cook" or "eyebrow". The swordsman had voluntarily said his rival's name.

If Chopper hadn't believed Luffy about Zoro's strange behavior before, he sure did now. No alcohol and willingly calling Sanji by name? Maybe Zoro really had gotten replaced by a zombie.

"Zoro," Chopper called out shyly, taking a few baby steps towards the swordsman. Zoro looked his way, his annoyance at Luffy's reaction still very much prominent on his face. Chopper squeaked a little, but didn't back down. This was something that Chopper couldn't let pass, for everyone's sakes. "I need to check you over, to see if you're still sick."

"I'm fine Chopper," Zoro said, waving the reindeer off. "I just need a nap."

Like hell. Zoro looked like he would pass out and die at any second. There was no way that Chopper would let Zoro's stubbornness slide this time. Not with Luffy in potential danger as well.

Chopper looked over to the captain, but if he had been looking for anything in particular he would have been sorely disappointed. All Luffy was doing was giving Zoro a blank stare.

"Zoro," Chopper pleaded, feeling rather uncomfortable with what he was about to say. Ordering people around wasn't really Chopper's thing. "I know you have this pride thing, but as your doctor I am ordering you to sit down so I can give you a proper check up."

He was sweating with nervousness by the time he finished, unsure of how Zoro would react to his impromptu and rather assertive—at least for Chopper—orders. Would he agree? Disagree? Would Chopper get sliced up for yelling? Chopper gulped, even though he knew he was probably overreacting.

Zoro snorted and complied, sitting down on the edge of the medical bed.

When Chopper made to examine Zoro, Luffy finally blinked, although it seemed to be lethargically. Luffy made his way over to Chopper's office chair, plopping down into it the wrong way and propping his chin onto the back. Chopper made a mental note to check Luffy over later.

"You're an idiot, Zoro," Luffy said in a bored tone, as if he was just commenting on the nice weather. "You should just listen to Chopper. He is the doctor."

"Oh, that's rich coming from you," Zoro snapped. "Since when do you ever listen to anyone?"

"Hey! I listen!"

"Like you did when I told you to stay away from the railing last month?"

"That was just-"

"Or how about when Nami—your navigator—told you it was too dangerous to sail to that island?"

Chopper wasn't sure if this ire was stemming from Zoro's illness or something else, but he did know he had to stop this argument in its tracks before it got the chance to escalate. Nothing good would come from a melancholy Luffy and an irritated Zoro.

"Hey guys, that's enough," Chopper said as sternly as he could manage, effectively cutting Luffy off from saying something he might regret later. The reindeer turned to Luffy, an apologetic smile upon his face. He knew how much Luffy wanted to spend time with Zoro, but there was just no way to make this work while Lufffy was like this. "Luffy? Could you run to the kitchen and grab a glass of water and some food for Zoro? His body is lacking in nutrients since he's been sick so long. I don't want him to relapse.

Luffy got up without another word, Chopper and Zoro watching with bated breaths. After the captain had left the room, Chopper exhaled loudly before continuing his examination of Zoro, his mind not really focused on his task.

"Chopper?"

"Hmm?"

"That's the third time you've taken my temperature."

Chopper paused, silently cursing himself. Now wasn't the time to be preoccupied with Luffy's behavioral change. He was supposed to be checking Zoro's health, not concerning himself with Luffy. Luffy would come right after, he promised himself, hoping this time he meant it.

Soon enough, Chopper had finished checking over Zoro, coming to a very odd conclusion. Zoro hadn't miraculously recovered, but he seemed to be on the mend, suddenly more healthy than sick.

"Hey Chopper," Zoro called out quietly, not sounding at all like his usual, gruff self. "What's wrong with Luffy?"

Chopper sighed. Straight to the point, huh? It was good to know most of Zoro's personality hadn't been affected by the illness. The only thing the doctor worried about now was the refusal of alcohol and calling of Sanji by his actual name.

"It's complicated. Luffy hasn't really been himself these past few days," Chopper said.

Zoro raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. "Since when has Luffy ever been complicated?"

"Since all of you got sick," Chopper said fully, trying to focus on putting his medical equipment back into their proper places.

"All of us?"

Chopper nodded, wondering how Zoro didn't notice Sanji and Usopp sick on their bunks. Also, this was a conversation he wasn't really eager to have. Not only was he going to have to explain all of the complicated details about their unknown illness, but he would also have to give the horrible experience that was dealing with the stranger that was Luffy.

"You were the first, so I don't expect you to know about the others, but it was you, then Nami, then Robin, the Usopp, Sanji, Franky, and lastly Brook."

How a cyborg and a skeleton could even get sick, Chopper didn't know, but the doctor was just as responsible for their care as he was everyone else's. Chopper was a doctor who would refuse no patient, even if they shouldn't have gotten sick. Chopper would still treat them to the best of his abilities.

"So is it contagious or something?" Zoro asked.

Chopper shrugged helplessly, feeling a little downtrodden at his own uselessness. "I have no clue. But Luffy and I are the only ones who haven't gotten sick so far."

"Luffy sure didn't seem all that well to me."

Chopper, catching onto Zoro's real meaning, shook his head. Sometimes he wished Luffy had gotten sick over being so mentally affected. At least he could treat a physical ailment. But he couldn't tell Zoro that. The swordsman would start to treat Luffy like he was as fragile as glass, and the last thing the captain needed was singing his first mate acting as docile as a kitten when around him. No, Chopper could tell that Luffy really needed some sense of normalcy to battle against this distress.

"What's gotten into Luffy?" Zoro rephrased, fed up with Chopper's silence.

"It's complicated," Chopper repeated.

"How?"

"It just is, Zoro!" Chopper yelled suddenly, taking the swordsman off guard.

Zoro's gaze softened and he relaxed when he saw how stressed the reindeer seemed. Chopper knew that Zoro was no longer going to press the doctor for answers.

Besides protecting Luffy's sense of normality, Chopper couldn't really bear to put that kind of burden upon the swordsman, too. Luffy was an emotional roller coaster, happy one minute, depressed the next. Chopper knew that he himself wasn't helping anything, being unable to properly spend time with the teen. He wanted to help Luffy out to the best of his abilities. Instead, the doctor had been too busy either trying to find a cure or making sure the crew was still alive to combat this new illness and its many symptoms.

Wait.

"That's it!" Chopper yelled out enthusiastically, startling Zoro. "I figured it out!"

The reindeer ran to his stores and began to rummage through the herbs and medicine, looking for the right one. Dammit! He hadn't used the last one on Zoro, did he?

Zoro hopped off the edge of the bed and calmly walked towards the frantic doctor, an eyebrow raised. Chopper barely noticed, though, too preoccupied with trying to find his supply of roots and herbs. A cry of joy escaped Choper as he dug through the neat bundles of medicines. A sense of dread soon filled the doctor when he finished sorting through them. He had found it, but there wasn't enough here. The root was too small to make another remedy.

"What's that?" Zoro asked, eyeing the root distrustfully.

"It's called Kudzu," Chopper explained, holding up something that looked like a cross between ginger and a potato. It was small, maybe just barely the size of Chopper's hoof. It wouldn't do any good if Chopper tried to use the root now, seeing as there just wasn't enough of it. "I'm not sure why this particular root worked against the illness, but if I compare the symptoms to the...yeah. That could work, but I would need some more of-"

A crash and a yell sounded from the kitchen and both Chopper and Zoro wasted no time in dropping what they were doing and sprinting towards the mess Luffy had probably made.

And indeed, Chopper and Zoro did find a mess in the kitchen. Pots and pans were scatter around the floor, food strewn everywhere. Sanji was going to be pissed if they didn't clean this up.

There was one thing missing, though, now that Chopper thought about it. Something he had forgotten to check for.

"Where's Luffy?" Zoro asked.

"Luffy?" Chopper called out, walking a few more steps into the catastrophe that was the kitchen. "Are you in here?"

"Yeah?" Luffy asked, popping out from behind the counter and scaring the poor doctor half to death. Zoro, for his part, stayed perfectly stoic, not even fazed by Luffy's Jack in the box stunt.

"What are you doing?" Chopper asked.

Luffy gave Chopper a confused look, like he didn't understand what he was doing that was so wrong—he probably didn't, the rubber-headed idiot.

"What do you mean?"

"He means," Zoro cut in, "why are you on the floor and why the hell is this place such a freaking mess?"

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled, jumping over the countertop and dashing over to the swordsman in excitement. "You're all better, right?"

Luffy was back to his happy-go-lucky self. The week had worn on the teen, and often times Luffy had found himself alone. It hadn't done anything but cause Luffy heartache, pain, and eventually, depression.

And Chopper cursed himself in every way he knew when those moments shower. It was an odd way to deal with it, but sometimes it was like a switch was suddenly turned on. Luffy's personality would do a complete one-eighty and his depression would show through. As a doctor, Chopper should have caught on earlier, but he had been too busy running himself ragged to notice anything.

With Zoro on the mend, though, maybe Luffy would finally start to be happier. Truly happy, not the pretending Luffy did so Chopper wouldn't worry. Maybe things would finally be able to go back to normal.

He knew it was wishful thinking. But still, if Chopper didn't have hope, what did he have? He was just going to have to believe in Luffy, like usual. Luffy could face any adversity and get through it without too much damage.

"I'm fine, Luffy."

That's right. They had been talking about Luffy's latest mess. Chopper mentally scolded himself for getting so distracted when he had this problem in front of him.

"That's good!" Luffy chattered joyously, not a trace of that earlier depression left. "I know you like to take naps and stuff but you've been sleeping forever! I wanna play!"

Somehow Luffy's tone went from happy to needy in no time flat. Yep, this was definitely the usual Luffy.

Zoro scoffed. "Like hell. Just answer the damn question Luffy."

"What was the question?" Luffy asked, folding his arms across his chest and tilting his head to the side, his "I'm trying to think but it's too hard"expression in place; not to be confused from his "give me meat" expression.

"Why the hell does it look like a tornado passed through here?" Zoro didn't really sound like he particularly cared. The swordsman probably wasn't too fond of the kitchen anyways, since it was kind of like Sanji's territory. Though, the table was most likely free game.

"Oh," Luffy said, putting a hand to his hat. "That."

"Yeah, 'that.'"

"It's kind of a cool story," Luffy admitted, chuckling. Luffy explained his troubles with finding the right ingredients for a sandwich when he had tripped and hit the stove, sending pots and pans flying over the place. Then, when he had gotten up, he made the sandwich-with a lot of difficulty-before tripping again and crashing to the floor with the pots and pans.

Zoro started to laugh while Chopper fussed over Luffy, making sure the teen was alright. Sure it was no mysterious disease, but he'd sooner die than let anyone go untreated under his watch.

"Oh yeah," Luffy, catching the other two's attention. "We're about to reach another island."

"What?!" Chopper exclaimed. "Since when?"

After Nami had fallen ill, the duty of navigating had fallen to Chopper for some unknown reason. Maybe because the others believed he would be the only one to avoid catching the illness? Well, they were partly right, but Chopper didn't really trust Luffy at the helm. The captain could be just as directionally challenged as Zoro sometimes.

But Chopper hadn't remembered anything about an island being so close. If he had read the map correctly, they weren't supposed to reach the next island for another three days.

"Yeah," Luffy confirmed. "I saw it earlier when I was on watch."

Being this early in the morning (about eight), it was probably an hour or two before Zoro had shown up above deck feeling better.

Chopper and Luffy, with the rest of the crew being too ill to help out, had set up a sort of schedule. Luffy took night watch while Chopper slept and regained his energy so he could treat the crew during the day, which was when Luffy usually slept. Although, lately, Luffy had been staying up more during the day. Chopper was awed at how Luffy managed it—and the captain did. Chopper had gotten up the night before and Luffy was dutifully doing his part.

"And you're sure it was an island?" Chopper asked.

Luffy nodded seriously. "My captain senses were definitely tingling."

"And what were your tingling senses trying to tell you?" Zoro asked, choking back a snort.

"That there's an adventure, of course!"

"Of course," Zoro nodded, playing along with his captain's antics.

Wait a minute. An island? Either Chopper was way more tired than he had first thought or he was incredibly stupid. This was the perfect opportunity, especially if the island had lots of plant life. Maybe his wasn't so hopeless after all.

"Luffy! Zoro!" Chopper called out excitedly, causing the two pirates to look over at the doctor. "If we can dock at this island, do you know what it'll mean?"

"We get to see some cool bugs?" Luffy guessed.

"You idiot," Zoro said, crossing his arms. "That's obviously not what Choper's talking about."

Chopper just shook his head, a huge grin on his face as he bounced up and down in anticipation and excitement. If they could pull this off, they could save everyone.

"It means that we'll be able to save everyone!"

Immediately after the words left Chopper's mouth, a spark that the reindeer hadn't even noticed was missing appeared in Luffy's face. It almost seemed as if an invisible weight had been taken off his shoulders. The path to the know how to deal with all of this was slowly opening up.

"You mean with that Kusku thing?" Zoro asked.

"Kudzu," Chopper corrected. "But yeah. I might just be able to cure everyone. The only problem will be finding the stuff."

"How're we supposed to find the stuff anyways?" Zoro asked.

"I can give you the Kudzu root I already have," Chopper offered. "The only thing is, if I do give it to you, then you have to be quick about this. I'm not sure how much longer the crew will be able to last without an antidote."

"I did it," Zoro said.

Chopper bit back a retort at that. Being nearly dead for almost three days was not what the doctor would call lasting. It took all of Chopper's skills to keep the swordsman alive.

"So all we have to do is get the mystery-medicine back here within the next few days and everyone will get better?" Luffy asked, his eyes shadowed by his hat. For some reason, Chopper shivered a little when he heard Luffy's serious tone. Sometimes it was easy to forget that their captain had a four million beri bounty on his head. After all, Even if Luffy was oblivious and playful most of the time, the captain still had the bounty for a reason. He had to be strong to achieve a bounty like that.

"Sounds easy," Zoro chimed in. "If we sick today we can be back by tomorrow."

Luffy grinned, his personality turning around completely. "Right! Then let's get ready to dock!"

"Aye, captain!" Chopper and Zoro chorused.

Chopper felt rather giddy now that he had found the breakthrough he had been looking for the past week. He just hoped nothing went wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter! Hope you enjoy!**

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"What the hell is that?"

"His name is meat!" Luffy exclaimed, proudly displaying his new find. "He's my new pet!"

Zoro skeptically looked the dog over. It was a scraggly looking thing and it looked at Zoro with those puppy dog eyes that just demanded for Zoro to melt. Zoro scowled and looked back at his over enthusiastic captain.

He was back to his happy, non-serious self, laughing madly as he held up his new white dog. It was this that made Zoro feel so conflicted. On the one hand, the swordsman didn't really want to send the captain back into that terrible depression thing he had spiraled into a few times, but on the other hand, Zoro really did not want to deal with a happy dog the entire time they spent on this island.

Not moments before, their walk had been completely silent. Luffy had shifted into that odd persona from earlier, and then, to top it all off and make Zoro wonder if the universe was against him, the swordsman had lost track of Luffy. Luffy had shown up minutes later with a brand new pet. With the way the captain was obsessing over the poor creature, one would think Luffy had just asked the puppy to join the crew.

Luffy laughed and put the tail-wagging puppy down on the ground, crouching next to him. "He's a good little guy, don't you think?"

Zoro raised an eyebrow, bemused by the sudden melancholy light that reflected in his captain's eyes. "Why do you want to keep him so much?"

It was obvious Luffy was already insanely attached to the thing. He crouched protectively over the puppy—Zoro refused to call it "Meat"—and wouldn't take his eyes off of it, especially since Luffy was no longer holding it. He wouldn't even look at Zoro.

Luffy shrugged his shoulders, eyes never leaving the puppy as it ran circles around the captain.

Zoro suddenly felt sort of uncomfortable. Sure, he trusted Luffy, but that was when Luffy was actually being Luffy. Zoro had only seen Luffy act like this one time before, and that had been during the Water 7 incident and the fallout with Usopp. Back then, after the captain and sniper had dueled for the Going Merry, Zoro had been doubtful of Luffy's abilities to stay strong. After all, it wasn't every day that one saw Luffy crying tears of regret. Luffy didn't really do regret, or at least, he hadn't.

During the incident, Zoro had done what he could to lend Luffy strength to the captain so he could continue on and save Robin, but looking back on it, as the unofficial first mate, he hadn't done all that great a job. It was only after the truth of Robin making that deal to save her friends came to light that Luffy seemed more than an empty shell of himself.

And after they had saved Robin, and after they had almost left Usopp behind on the island; only then did Zoro see the reality of it all.

Zoro had only the upmost respect for Luffy—when the teen wasn't being a rubber headed idiot—and he knew that Luffy was the only reason he had come as far as he had. The problem was, Luffy too often shouldered most of the weight of the crews' burdens. The captain was responsible for his crew, but seeing Luffy now, especially after their two year separation, Zoro couldn't help but think that that they all relied too much on Luffy and his accepting smile. Now that Zoro could see clearly, he found that Luffy was buckling under the weight of all their promises and dreams.

So, if Zoro felt rather uncomfortable with Luffy's silence, who could blame him? How could he possibly make the captain's burden lighter, but at the same time help Luffy build up his strength when he had failed so miserably before?

"He kind of reminds me of Chopper," Luffy admitted, kicking Zoro out of his wondering thoughts.

Zoro frowned in confusion before realization settled over him. "Oh, the dog."

Luffy nodded, that hyperactive spirit back again. "He's small, animalish, and he's probably going to grow up to be a doctor."

"You think?" Luffy had said it so matter-of-factly that Zoro didn't have the heart to comment otherwise. Besides, with the strange things that happened around Luffy, it wouldn't surprise Zoro if the dog could do circus tricks.

"Hey Meat!" Luffy exclaimed. "D'ya wanna play something?"

The dog yipped happily, wagging its short tail in excitement. Zoro smiled despite himself. He just hoped Luffy didn't use his superhuman strength in any way while "playing" with the dog. If the dog got hurt, Luffy would probably be beside himself with worry.

Zoro's smile faded, lips pressing together into a thin line as he observed the two playmates. He couldn't let this person, his captain, die—emotionally or physically. Zoro wouldn't let any more burdens be placed upon Luffy's shoulders, for both their sakes. Luffy may be strong, but even the most strong willed person in the world couldn't survive the crushing weight Luffy bore forever. So Zoro promised himself that as long as they were on this stupid island, Luffy wasn't going to be the only one to bear responsibility.

"Corvi?"

Both pirates started as they heard the soft call. They turned towards the rustling bushes, and to their surprise, out tumbled a little girl. She was trembling as she took in the strange scene. Two strange guys surrounding her dog; it must have scared her, but the determined expression she wore spoke otherwise.

"Wh-who are y-you?" the girl asked timidly. "And what are you doing with Corvi?"

"Corvi?" Luffy asked cluelessly, looking around for something that was definitely right in front of him. Zoro, amused, said nothing when it was apparent the captain didn't fully understand the situation. "All I see is Meat!"

The girl gasped. "You can't eat Corvi! He's not meat!" she yelled defiantly, her anger throwing all sense of rationalization out the window. She stomped up to Luffy—when had he stood up?—and got up in his face. Her cheeks flushed with anger. This girl showed no sign of fearing for her life.

"Who the hell is Corvi?" Luffy wondered. The captain tilted his head in confusion, as if thinking about it. "I think I would remember if I wanted to eat some guy named Corvi, right Zoro?"

Zoro snorted skeptically, struggling not to comment with a "Probably not." The miscommunication between pirate captain and little girl was rather amusing, as well.

"I don't care if you won't give me my dog back," the girl said coldly. "If I have to, I'll take him back by force!"

"Your dog?" Luffy looked down at his new pet.

A nod.

"And you guys are friends?"

Another tentative nod.

"And you would do anything to get him back."

"Of course!"

Luffy held out the dog for the girl to take. "Here, you can have Meat back."

The girl hesitantly reached out, her trembling more prominent now that the moment of irrational anger had vanished. She took the dog back cautiously and even seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after she had the puppy safely in her arms. "What's the catch?"

Luffy's infectious grins were usually blinding. This one, however, was not. It was a small, gentle, more personal smile that comforted one immediately. This did not fail to reach the little girl, despite Luffy's rapidly changing moods. The girl relaxed and slunk closer to the pirates.

"I'm Maki," the girl introduced. Now that Zoro got a good look at the child, he realized the oldest the girl could have been was nine or ten. He brunette hair was pulled back in a braid to keep it out of her face, and her determined eyes shined a glowing auric, the same color as the golden leaves of autumn. Her dark skin contrasted with her stark white dress. Zoro raised an eyebrow at this. How her clothes were so clean—not even a speck!—after trekking through this forest, Zoro didn't know, but he wasn't so curious as to ask.

"I'm Luffy," the captain replied back. "And the grumpy pants over there is Zoro."

Luffy's stomach growled noisily at that moment, cutting the girl off from replying. The young captain held it, a pout replacing his smile. "Zoro~" the boy whined pitifully. "I'm hungry~!"

Maki perked up instantly, setting the dog on the ground. "Why don't you come with me back to the village, then?"

"Will there be food?"

"We have more important things to worry about," Zoro replied stiffly. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for Maki's offer; Zoro just didn't want Maki to get into any trouble for bringing two infamous pirates into her home. Besides, they had promised Chopper to be back by tomorrow. They still hadn't located the Kudzu root yet, so they didn't have any time to waste.

"Come on, Zoro!" Luffy pleaded, his black hole of a stomach warbling again. "They'll have lots of food and booze!"

If that was supposed to convince him, it wasn't a very good argument. While Zoro had to admit that he was absolutely famished, he wasn't feeling too good about all of this. Maki had let them off way too easy. She wasn't quite wary enough for his taste.

And besides, he wasn't really excited about the alcohol. For some reason, he felt sick to his stomach whenever he even thought about the stuff. Zoro didn't think too much of it, though. It was probably just a side effect of his recent sickness.

"Please~!" Luffy pleaded, unintentionally mimicking Corvi's puppy dog eyes from earlier. The only difference? This time it worked.

Zoro let out a reluctant sigh and gave his consent. "Fine."

Luffy was the only one who could get Zoro to do anything the captain wanted him to—besides Nami, but he didn't really count her since she used money to manipulate him. But in this case, Zoro couldn't help but feel a bit taken advantage of. Sometimes, whether the captain knew it or not, Luffy could be a real charismatic, manipulative bastard.

Luffy cheered and the trio, plus the dog, started towards the village. Despite his reluctance, Zoro was actually kind of glad he had made this call. The setting sun left the breezy evening rather chilly.

As they walked, Zoro's brain nagged at him, and the swordsman retreated into his thoughts. It was unusual. Luffy was usually one to demand something, not ask for something. The captain demanded, he was denied, he'd do it anyways. That was the general order of things. It was a general rule that Luffy got what he wanted-unless it was food in the middle of the night.

So, Zoro wondered what was going through Luffy's rubber brain. Instead of just going through with his stupid whims, Luffy had deliberately asked Zoro again and again, trying to change the swordsman's mind instead of forging ahead. It was just so unusual.

Something else was bothering him, too. Their walk was quiet, and it gave Zoro a bad feeling. He didn't know why, but this little girl was bad news. And yet, Luffy, the one who could judge a person's character by just looking at them, saw nothing wrong with her. Was Zoro just acting paranoid?

"We're here!" Maki exclaimed.

The group pushed through some bushes and a sleepy little town was revealed. It was bigger than Zoro had expected, but then again, he hadn't expected to be less than a ten minutes' walk from the village. If he had known it was so close, he would have suggested going there in the first place. Oh well. At least they had an escort this way.

The group passed house after house, and Maki kept calling out the names of the occupants that lived there, but each and every time the brunette's calls went unanswered.

"It's like a ghost town," Zoro commented.

Luffy's eye sparkles in excitement. "Oh!" Do you think we're going to be able to meet a ghost? That' be so cool!"

Zoro snorted skeptically. "Did you get your fill of ghosts back on Thriller Bark?"

"Those were zombies," Luffy argued. "And that was two years ago, anyways. I wanna meet a ghost now!"

"What about Perona's ghosts?"

"Those suck! I wanna meet a real ghost! One that doesn't make me feel all weak and yucky. Not a zombie, not a skeleton I wanna meet a ghost!"

Zoro sighed in defeat. This was going nowhere at all. Might as well agree to disagree.

The group finally stopped in front of a small, weathered house that barely looked like it could survive a small gust of wind.

"Grandpa?" Maki called out. She was met with silence. Even Corvi, who had been running around and wagging his tail in excitement sat expectantly in front of the house. Maki called out again, "Grandpa? Are you home?"

There was no reply from the house, but rather from the sound of footsteps from behind them. The footsteps sounded slow and deliberate, like the person was struggling to walk.

An old man, hunched over and wheezing, slowly trudged towards the group. Maki squealed in delight and raced toward the old man. Corvi eagerly followed the girl, barking happily.

"Grandpa!"

Maki stop just before her grandfather, bouncing on her toes. Zoro noted that she looked just like a pet expecting a treat for all her hard work. For some reason, that thought sickened him.

The old man shot Zoro and Luffy a small, apologetic smile, although something was rather off about it. Zoro tensed. Ever since Maki had started to lead them towards the village, the swordsman had been feeling nothing short of paranoid. It was like this shadow was standing right behind him, watching even the slightest twitch.

And this guy. This guy irked Zoro. One look at Luffy's tense form told Zoro the captain shared his sentiment.

"Welcome to our village, travelers."

"Do you have any food?" Luffy asked bluntly.

The old man looked rather startle by the random question, but replied anyways. "Food? Ah, yes, we do, but-"

"Great!" Luffy exclaimed. "Then we can eat, sleep, and find that root stuff Chopper needs to save everyone."

Zoro snorted. "Oh yeah. Sounds like it could be a party," he muttered.

Luffy grinned. "Well, if you insist, we could just go all out and it could be like that three day long party we had on Nami's home island!"

"Hell no," Zoro said. "The only thing we need to be doing is eating, sleeping, and then finding the Kudzu. We got a late start already as it is. We promised to be back tomorrow, remember?"

"Kudzu?" The old man interrupted before Luffy could retort. "As in Kudzu root?"

"You know where we can find it, old man?" Zoro growled out. The swordsman had to admit, if this geezer knew where to find the root then it would save the pirates a great deal of trouble. It was better than aimlessly searching the island without an inkling of an idea of where they were supposed to search. Besides, as the crew liked to put it, Zoro was a little directionally challenged.

The old man nodded. "We have some here in the village," the geezer admitted, although it seemed rather reluctantly. "But there isn't much and Kudzu is rather uncommon."

As quickly as Zoro's hopes rose, they were mercilessly crushed just as fast. This couldn't be happening. It was Zoro's and Luffy's job to get that root back to the ship so Chopper could cure everyone. And here it was, right under their noses, and they couldn't even reach it.

Zoro cleared his throat. "If you aren't able to give us what you have, that's fine. Just tell us where we can find some."

"Well," the man stated, "that's the problem." The geezer looked rather uncomfortable as he spoke. Zoro dreaded to hear whatever came next.

"You can't take our medicine!" Maki yelled out suddenly. Zoro had almost forgotten she was there. "If you take it, it won't grow back!"

"What she says is true," the old man explained, begging the pirates to understand. "There are only a few roots left, and if picked, we wouldn't be able to harvest any next season."

Luffy, who had been completely silent up until now, exploded in rage. "You can't tell us that! My friends are dying! What else am I supposed to do?!"

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that-"

BANG!

The two villagers jumped in fright, looking at a panting Luffy and a stoic Zoro in fear. The swordsman supposed the door could have split open from the sheer strength of Luffy's punch, considering how weak and unstable it looked, but the wooden structure held, only rattling slightly. Luff huffed out frustrated breaths, trying to reign in his raging temper. Zoro said nothing.

The silence lasted several moments, broken only by Luffy's harsh breathing. Finally, it became too much for Zoro to bear.

"What are you going to do, Luffy?" Zoro asked, arms crossed defensively in front of his chest. He had promised himself he would do it right this time. "Are you going to steal the herbs from these innocent people?"

Luffy didn't reply, turning his head away in shame and frustration.

"L-Luffy?" The old man stuttered, jaw slack from shock. "As in Monkey D. Luffy? Strawhat Luffy? 400 million beri bounty Luffy?"

Zoro's gaze hardened as he took in the man's reaction. Usually the only people who looked like they were going to pee their pants when they heard Luffy's name were newly recruited marines, rookie pirates, or citizens from well-informed islands. There was no way this tiny, secluded island in the New World should know anything about Luffy.

"What's it to you?" Zoro snapped.

"I-It's just..." The old man trailed off, face pale and hands shaking. The man dropped to his knees. Maki cried out in concern but didn't close the distance between them. The girl looked just as terrified as her grandfather.

Zoro was so startled by their reactions that he actually took a step back even Luffy looked surprised. The captain did the opposite of Zoro, though, taking a few steps toward the geezer and dropping into a crouch in front of him.

"What happened?" Luffy asked, his tone leaving no room for argument. Zoro shivered slightly. Luffy was angry and frustrated, but he wouldn't take it out on an innocent old man, right? That wasn't the captain Zoro had chosen to follow.

The old man gripped Luffy's rubbery arm and pulled him close as a sort of mental or emotional support. Beside them, Maki stared blankly at the ground and Corvi was silent, tail completely still. Something was very wrong in this village. Zoro could feel it.

"You need to leave, Strawhat," the old man rasped. "Both of you. Avalo said that it was hopeless to rely on you, that no one could help us, even if we asked. So, we complied with his wishes. But now that it is done, there's nothing you can do for us. Leave now while you are still able to.

Nothing this guy said made any sense. Who was Avalo and what has he forced these poor villagers to do? And why would they think that they couldn't get help from- Oh. That was actually a pretty dumb question. Zoro and Luffy were pirates. What other excuse did the villagers need?

"I'm not leaving without that Kudzu root!" Luffy yelled. "I won't let my friends die. I will protect them no matter-"

Wolves howled in the distance, cutting Luffy off.

The old man seemed to age ten years as he listened to the howls. "Maki. Inside, now."

"But, Grandpa-"

"Now!" The old man barked. "As the leader of this village, I will not allow you to get hurt!"

Maki reluctantly followed the order, running into the wooden house with Corvi on her heels.

Zoro turned his attention to the pale old elder. The wolves' howls sounded again, closer this time. It made Zoro's hair stand on end, goosebumps creeping up his arms. Never before had he felt so...out of control of a situation. He didn't know what was going on not why all of this was happening. And to top it all off, they were still a step away from gaining the Kudzu root.

A howl ripped through the air, sending a shiver down Zoro's back. They were here.

Luffy stood up silently. His hat shadowed his eyes, but the grim frown on Luffy's face was enough to tell Zoro what the captain was planning. Zoro urged his stiff muscles to move and forced his body forward, standing in front of the old man; a ready hand on Sandai Kitetsu.

The old man was speechless as he watched Luffy carelessly approach the wolf pack. He had no need to worry, though. Luffy lifted his head, enraged expression and fiery eyes turned full force towards the large animals. A large burst of Haki later and the creatures were forced to submit to Luffy, eyes rolled back in their heads.

The wolves collapsed one by one as Luffy padded slowly back to his awaiting companions. The gloom of night left Luffy almost completely shrouded by the shadows by now.

"You tell me everything," Luffy told the man icily. When the man started to tremble in fear, Luffy's voice took on a gentler tone. "I need to save my friends and you need to protect your village. How about we make a deal?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay. Confession time. I had a beta and I sent them everything, but they haven't given it back to me yet. I figured I might as well just post it now and update the chapters later when she sends me the chapters back. Just a warning, from here on out, nothing is beta'd. I did my best but I'm sure I didn't catch everything.**

* * *

Luffy blinked lethargically up at the ceiling. He felt so out of it, and yet, he couldn't find it in himself to try and sleep, despite how late it must have been.

The elder had practically shoved Luffy and Zoro into his guest room—which was really just a tidy storage room—with promises of the opportunity to talk at breakfast. So, with a heavy heart, a whirling mind, and an empty stomach, Luffy lie under a thin blanket—which he really didn't mind since it wasn't all that cold—continuing his staring contest with the gloomy ceiling.

It wasn't what he wanted to be doing, but this wasn't the Thousand Sunny. Luffy couldn't just get up and have fun maneuvering past Sanji's traps in the kitchen. This place wasn't his shop, and as much as he wanted to, there was no way he could get out of bed in the middle of the night to raid the kitchen, able to sleep or not.

"Hey, Luffy?"

Luffy hummed in response, lacking the energy to formulate words. From somewhere to the right of him, Luffy heard Zoro shift—probably to face the captain so to talk better. Luffy didn't move, though, too comfortable and too lazy to try and turn himself towards Zoro's general direction.

His mind kept going in circles. Had he already counted that swirl in the wood? He was up to eighteen now, lazily scanning the ceiling to check if he had missed one.

"Luffy, you should get some sleep," Zoro told him.

Luffy didn't say anything, any coherent thoughts or words flying straight out the window, but he obediently closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was in another world.

The light of the dying fires reflected in the frozen Luffy's eyes. All around him, fallen bodies littered the ground. Battles rage on.

Above him, two streaks of light, one the blue light of Phoenix Fire, clashed again and again, fighting for dominance. Luffy didn't watch long, for other battles caught his attention, but he let himself stop for a few moments as he watched in awe at the sheer power both devil fruit users possessed.

"Luffy!"

"Strawhat!"

"Luffy-kun! Keep on going!"

Voices called out to him, cheering him forward.

Why would they be doing that? Why were they cheering him on like that? He wasn't fighting like everyone else. Not like Marco. Not like Whitebeard. Not like all the marines and pirates battling it out around him.

Everyone was fighting, but he was just standing there, staring at the execution stand. A face stood out among the others, grimy face locked in a stricken look of fear.

"LUFFY!"

Admirals blocked the rubber man's way to the execution stand, and Luffy faced the three logias head on. He was up in the air, soaking wet and carrying the broken mast and, as expected, the admirals didn't even flinch. Aokiji froze the mast with his ice powers and sent the broken ship flying back full force. Luffy waited for the frozen mast and kicked to pieces, sending them flying back at the admirals.

He was on the execution stand now, with no memory of how he had made it there. Hadn't he just been fighting the admirals? Luffy didn't question it much longer, though, and turned toward the figure dressed with chains.

"Ace," Luffy croaked, inserting a wax key into the lock of the cuffs.

His tattooed brother looked so lost, like he was battling against his own emotions. Sad and happy, angry and proud, scared but grateful; there were a range of emotions that Luffy figured Ace was probably feeling right now. Still, as Luffy looked Ace over, relieved tears leapt to the corners of his eyes.

"I'm your brother, Ace," the young captain whispered. "I'm your younger brother and I need you with me."

He was a young boy, sitting on a cliff overlooking the sea, oversized straw hat covering his teary face. Ace stood next to him, arms crossed and face stoic. It was the face of someone who pushed emotions away.

"Listen up, Luffy, and remember this! I'm not going to die! Sabo asked me to look after you, too... so I'm not gonna die, no matter what! That's a promise! Like hell I could die and leave my weak little brother all on his own! I'm not all that smart, so I can't figure out what was really responsible for Sabo's death... but whatever it was, it must be something totally opposed to freedom...! Sabo died without ever becoming truly free... but we shared that drink with Sabo and we're still alive! So remember this, Luffy. No matter what, the two of us... have to live our lives with no regrets! We're going to set out to sea someday...! Live our lives the way we want to...! With more freedom than anyone in the world! I'm sure we'll end up making a lot of enemies on the way... even Gramps will be our enemy! We'll be risking our lives! But when we turn seventeen, we set sail! We're going... to be pirates!"

Luffy, on top of the execution stand once more, grinned at his big brother. "You promised, remember?"

"Luffy." Ace, free from his bonds, mimicked Luffy's wide smile. "You're one hell of a guy."

Warm, welcoming fire enveloped them.

Luffy blinked and found himself on his knees in the middle of the battlefield once again, the execution stand destroyed.

A shadow rushed towards him, and the captain found himself face to face with a marine admiral. A wave of fear rolled over him when he realized his predicament.

Admiral Akainu.

Something was nagging at him to look down, away from the admiral. A feeling told him that the admiral wasn't the most important thing right now. And yet, his instincts were threatening to kick his ass if he dared to take his eyes off of the monster in front of him. Torn, he sat there, unsure of what to do. The feeling grew stronger, and for once, Luffy ignored his instincts. That was his first mistake.

He glanced down at the bloodstained ground, reaching out. For what? He didn't know why, but a small piece of paper, burning and smoldering away the edges bit by bit, was lying in front of him. It looked almost like he had dropped it there on accident. Wracking his brain for answers, Luffy stretched out toward it, heart beating loudly against his ribcage. This was extremely important, even if he didn't know why.

He was reaching for it, but he couldn't stretch, his body pushed too far past its limits. He felt sluggish and exhausted, pain from every nerve resounding throughout him. His vision was tinted red, blurring in and out as the agony slowly took him over. Pure will power was the only thing keeping his body going by now.

While reaching for the card that moved farther and farther away the more he crawled towards it, he ignored the survival instincts screaming at him. This little piece of paper was more important than his own life.

He didn't notice Akainu pull back his fist. He didn't notice the lava that sizzled and dropped off of the logia's arm, disintegrating he stone ground underfoot. He didn't even notice that the man was aiming to kill him. And when he did, it was far too late.

Akainu loomed over Luffy, fist driving forward with insane speed. He couldn't move; couldn't escape. Gone was that smiling captain that had saved his brother. He was doomed to die at the hands of a marine admiral.

"LUFFY!"

A blur swept past him, the consequential breeze slightly ruffling his hair and vest. But Luffy hardly noticed.

Things seemed to continue in slow motion. Unable to squeeze his eyes shut, Luffy sat there, shell-shocked, a mortified look plastered on his face. He didn't want to see this happen. Not again.

The smell of burning flesh slammed into him full force and Luffy resisted the urge to gag. He stared up in horror at the one who had saved him. No. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not like this. How? Why?!

Luffy's savior teetered in front of Luffy protectively, a lava fist impaled through his chest. Luffy's bottom lip trembled as he struggled to understand what was happening.

"Z-Zoro...?"

Luffy gasped awake.

The teen struggled with his blanket, trying to fight against the confused, frightened haze that had settled over his half asleep mind. Once the bedding was out of the way, his trembling hand groped desperately for the comfort of his straw hat. His fingers lightly grazed the familiar texture of straw and he stuffed it on the top of his head. Thankfully, the numb, shell-shocked feeling had settled not just in his bones, but in his emotions, too.

"Luffy!"

Luffy jumped to his feet as the door swung open, still a nervous wreck from what had transpired in his dream. Zoro walked in with a serious look on his face and a hand resting on his swords.

"...Zoro?"

Zoro raised an eyebrow, looking Luffy over. The captain was still shaking, but it was a lot less noticeable now.

"Are you okay?" the swordsman asked, scrutinizing Luffy's agitated form.

"I'm fine."

Zoro didn't seem fooled in the least, but he didn't press, respecting Luffy's right to privacy. He nodded and walked towards the captain. Grabbing Luffy's shaking hand, Zoro pulled Luffy towards the door. Zoro hardly seemed to notice the subsiding tremors as the two pirates walked out of the room and into the small house's kitchen area.

"Time for breakfast!" Maki greeted from the counter she was sitting on top of. She was eating a small chocolate chip muffin. The old village elder grunted from his seat at the kitchen table.

Luffy's lips twitched into a small smile, his mind used to the want of food, but his stomach rumbles nervously. After last night, the prospect of keeping food down seemed rather improbable.

Maki held out another muffin. "You want one?"

"Sure."

Luffy didn't know why he took the breakfast food from Maki when he knew he wouldn't be able to eat it. Maki just looked at him with those bright, golden eyes that radiated happiness.

Zoro was silent, as per usual, but the air between the captain and first mate was sort of tense and heavy. Unable to ignore it any longer, Luffy glanced at the green-haired swordsman. There was a small, disapproving frown donning Zoro's face that caused Luffy to look away again.

"Hey, Mr Pirate Captain? How'd you get that big scar on your chest?"

Luffy forgot how to breathe.

Crocodile was stabbing him through the stomach with his poisoned hook. Lucci's Rokuogan was slamming into him with enough force to damage every single organ in his body, even though they were made of rubber. Luffy was using both second and third gear at once, and it felt as if he were being ripped to shreds from the inside out.

He was hyperventilating now. Memories from his disturbingly vivid dream from last night flashing in front of his eyes.

Arms surrounded Luffy, and in his panic, they were bindings, trapping him and stopping him from escaping. He grappled desperately against them.

"Shit Luffy! Stop struggling!"

He did more than that. He quit moving, collapsing forward into Zoro's solid form. The swordsman helped him stay upright, doing his job as a friend as well as a crew mate.

"Just breathe, Luffy. You're alright," Zoro told him, unintentionally copying Chopper's words from the day before. "Just breathe."

Luffy inhaled shallowly and the darkness that had edged into his vision retreated with every slow breath he took.

"I'm going to lose them," Luffy whispered hoarsely. In the whole last week, never once had Luffy admitted his deepest fear. But he was freaking out! Where was that numb part of him when he needed it? Why was he feeling this so much? He could usually push his emotions away so easily, so where was that push now?

The kitchen had frozen. Maki and the elder stared at the wreck Luffy had become in confusion and surprise, not fully understanding the consequences of asking a question about Luffy's scar. Nobody moved a single muscle. Even Zoro, who would usually do something, anything, to break the tense silence, just held Luffy close to him, lips pulled down into a disappointed frown.

"If you're thinking like that, why didn't you say something earlier? Chopper was freaking out about your health and crap, second guessing himself because you weren't stepping up and telling him how you were really feeling. You can't keep pushing your emotions away, Luffy."

"You do it," Luffy countered, his voice low and dangerous. Zoro's eyes flashed in warning. "And besides, a captain is supposed to be strong!"

"I'm not the one who's keeping secrets from my friends."

Luffy glared at the floor. "I'm not keeping secrets from anybody. I'm just trying to be a strong captain."

"Strength isn't measured by how long you can go without breaking, dumbass. I thought you knew what true strength really was."

So did Luffy. Time after time, Luffy had gotten up after being unable to dodge everything that had been thrown at him. He kept going no matter what. After Crocodile. After Lucci. After Moriah. After the Saobody fiasco with Kizaru and Kuma. After Impel Down.

And then he managed to save Ace and lose him within the same day.

"I always stand up. Always," Luffy said, voice breaking on the last word. "I do it every time thinking that if I just keep going then everything will be alright."

But it didn't always happen that way, no matter how much will power Luffy had. He hadn't had the strength to make his brother see reason, and his brother died because of that. After Ace, strength and courage were a whole other world away; somewhere Luffy was unable to reach with his current abilities.

"Strength is meaningless if you have nothing to protect," Zoro reminded him. "You kept getting back up because you were trying to protect something dear to you, right? What counts right now are your friends. Even if you do fall, you aren't falling alone."

Luffy hung his head morosely. "I don't want any of us to fall again."

"Then why are you even here?!" Zoro asked angrily, his hold on Luffy becoming tighter. "Why are you sailing the seas? How are you supposed to reach One Piece if you never risk anything to get it?!"

As much as Luffy hated to admit it, Zoro was right. Of course he didn't want to lose his friends, but they fought to protect each other, and he couldn't give up now. It was time to decide what he was really ready to risk. Was his dream worth it?

Of course it is, you big dummy! How long have you been dreaming of becoming King of the Pirates? Didn't you make a promise?

One hand absentmindedly reached up and rested atop his straw hat, the reminder of his promise with Shanks.

He promised Shanks. Shanks had trusted Luffy. Everyone trusted him. He had to move past his lack of strength at Marineford and get stronger. For everyone.

Luffy sat atop the hill overlooking the village, old houses spread out below him. He wondered if this was what it was like to be King; detached, separated, able to see but unable to reach. If this was his goal, he wasn't sure he wanted to reach it any longer.

For as long as Luffy could remember, he had wanted to be King of the Pirates, sailing and adventuring with his crew. But at this rate, with his friends on their deathbeds, it looked like he was destined to become the lonely, isolated King.

He was drowning, he realized. It was like being immersed within a sea of doubts and indecision. The emotions were dragging him down.

Why he was having so much trouble with a decision that should have been relatively simple Luffy didn't know. He had said it himself.

"I'm not leaving without that Kudzu root!"

"I won't let my friends die!"

He had said he wouldn't let them die, so why was he acting like such a coward? Why couldn't it just be like usual? He's headfirst into battle without a second thought to protect what he loved most.

So his decision? There was no way he could make one, even with his friends' lives in danger. And it was killing him.

Luffy couldn't think anymore. He was back to drowning in his depression, despite the pick me up from Zoro earlier. His mind was too chaotic and nothing made sense anymore. Nothing could reach him. Somehow, he had to make it out of this torrent by himself. A motivational speech from a friend wasn't going to part the depths, no matter how many times the swordsman preached at him.

The fact that Luffy couldn't say yes to a simple deal of beating up some bad guy and saving the island for the key to saving his friends seemed really odd, too. It wasn't that he didn't want to say yes, it was just that he couldn't, no matter how hard he tries. There was a sense of wrongness about the whole situation. Something felt off.

Zoro wasn't helping, either. The whole time the old guy tried to get Luffy to help or to leave altogether, Zoro stood there and took the guy's side. Luffy didn't get why Zoro couldn't understand his hesitance. Didn't Zoro sense the danger?

"Stop sulking."

The captain chose not to respond. He wasn't in the mood to deal with all of this crap.

"Don't take it out on everyone around you."

Luffy blinked. And blinked again before it him like a brick to the face. This wasn't Zoro.

He jumped to his feet and was in his horse stance immediately. In front of him stood a young man, tanned and dressed in clothes that reminded Luffy of the Shandorians from Skypeia. His brown gaze held pride and cockiness. Luffy recognized a rookie without much battle experience when he saw one. This man had hardly seen the battle field and had probably never fought with anyone of real caliber, and therefore, the man probably hadn't had the opportunity to taste much defeat.

Still, Luffy couldn't afford to underestimate the guy. Looks alone didn't tell the whole story. After all, everyone had always underestimated Luffy since he looked too carefree and innocent, and most of the time, it had helped him in battle. At least, that's what Rayleigh had taught him.

"So you're Monkey D. Luffy." It wasn't a question, just a statement, and for some reason it set Luffy at ease.

Luffy stood up straight and tilted his hat back a bit so he could see the guy better. The stance didn't exactly put Luffy in the best position for a quick attack if one was needed, but he could still dodge pretty easily.

"Yeah. What of it?" Luffy asked.

"You're shorter than I thought you'd be," the guy said, scrutinizing Luffy's form thoughtfully.

"Just 'cause I'm not as tall as Robin or Brook, it doesn't make me short," Luffy huffed defensively.

Never before had Luffy felt insecure about his height. It never really bothered him that most people towered over him. He had never particularly cared that, excluding Chopper, Luffy was the shortest on the crew. He made up the difference of height in strength of power. It wasn't supposed to bother him, so why did it now?

The man scratched his head, ruffling the short amber locks furiously. "Hm. I didn't really mean that you were short," the guy clarified. "I just imagined you differently."

"Oh," Luffy said, not really understanding what was happening. "You imagined what I looked like?"

The guy nodded. "Yeah, I figured you'd be taller, you know? From the rumors about you I just thought you'd be more...monsterish and less...short."

Luffy just laughed, relishing the feeling of normalcy. Finally, someone who didn't know to treat him any different. "I don't really get it, but it's kind of fun to scare people who have heard about me!"

"You have no idea what I'm getting at, do you?" the guy asked drily.

"Not a clue."

The guy sighed. "Look Strawhat, I'm trying to say that I've even dreaming about meeting you. It's an honor to finally come face to face with you."

Luffy wasn't really sure what to say to that one. It wasn't like he knew the guy. Should he be honored to be recognized? It was just one step closer to becoming the Pirate King, right?

"Are you actually strong?" Luffy asked.

"Hey!" the guy yelled indignantly, startling Luffy. "Don't diss the muse man!"

"Muse man?"

What the hell did that mean? Was he...did he mean thy he ate a devil fruit? If that was true, what kind of powers did a muse man have?

The guy scoffed. "I have amazing powers of the likes you've never seen before! I can predict your every move, read your every thought, and evade your every attack!" The guy struck a dramatic pose. "I have eaten the amazing...Muse Muse Fruit!"

Luffy looked at the man skeptically, not at all impressed. "What the hell is a muse?"

Laughing, the guy moved forwards towards Luffy. Luffy let him, still curious about this strange guy and his mysterious mannerisms.

"A muse is a muse," the man said simply, a slight tremor in his voice. "You know, it's what makes thoughts come into your head. As a muse man, I am able to read your mind."

"So I won't be able to hit you?"

"I basically know what you're going to do," the guy explains. "Tobio the great has never lost a fight!"

A small frown crossed Luffy's face and the captain held out an arm. It didn't matter if this guy was a marine admiral, Luffy would never roll over and let someone walk all over him without giving a fight first. Especially if that someone was in the way of something important.

The guy, Tobio, smirked at the captain. Luffy was once again struck with that off feeling in his chest. Something wasn't right and Luffy briefly wondered if he should back off he /had/ learned that it was smart to pick and choose your battles. To be safe, he stretched his arm out enough for it to recoil and trigger his second hear. Whether he was fighting or not he couldn't leave himself open for potential attacks. He wasn't invincible.

"Let's see how fast you can dodge this," Tobio said, smirk still prominent on his tanned face.

Tobio disappeared in an instant, leaving nothing but a small breeze and a rustle of grass behind. Luffy stayed still, not dating to breathe. Reaching out with his observation Haki did absolutely nothing, he realized frustratedly, so he prepared himself. He shifted his weight to his toes for better balance and maneuverability. He was not eager for a fight with someone he couldn't sense.

It was so quick Luffy almost missed it. One minute all was silent atop the hill, the next, Tobio was behind him, aiming a giant stick at Luffy's head. Luffy spun around and the two made brief eye contact. Tobio swung.

Left.

He dodged right.

It was a good thing he did because of Luffy had gone left like his brain had told him to, even having a rubber body wouldn't have helped. On the ground now, Luffy could practically taste the aura of the haki infused stick. There would be no bouncing back after a hit from that.

Jump.

He ducked.

The stick passed safely a few inches over his head. Luffy cursed his confused mind. The only thing that was saving his sorry ass right now was Rayleigh's rigorous training. His body was trained to dodge a haki infused stick even while sleeping. It was so ingrained into his instincts that his body had no trouble evading. His mind, on the other hand, was a different matter.

Dodge right.

He back flipped out of the way f the deadly arc of the sweeping stick.

Something was happening to his head, and he had no clue how to fix it. Luckily, Luffy was still in second gear. After taking a calming breath, it was Luffy's turn to disappear. He was moving faster than the eye could see. The stick swung wildly at Luffy, but the captain caught the wood and pulled it out of Tobio's hands before the guy could even react. Another second and Luffy had Tobio pinned on the ground underneath him, unable to move.

Let him go.

Luffy felt the intense urge to get up and let Tobio go free. He didn't like this feeling at all. It was like he was a slave to his own mind. But Luffy's will power was stronger than that. There was no way he would just let someone control his body.

"Like hell I will!" Luffy snapped out irritably. "Just tell me what you want and what the hell you're doing to me!"

The visible look of shock led to more questions than answers. Luffy didn't know what the heck was going on, but he was pretty sure he wanted it to stop. When Tobio didn't answer, Luffy's frustration boiled over.

"Dammit!" Luffy yelled. "My friends' lives are on the line! Just tell me what the hell Avalo is up to!"

Tobio coughed awkwardly, a sheepish, nervous smile turning the corners of his face upwards slightly. "Well, you see, I ate the Muse Muse Fruit."

"I know that already!"

"Right, right," Tobio placated. "But I lied about my abilities."

"You did?" Luffy asked, calmer as more confusion settled over him.

Tobio nodded vigorously. "Yeah. Do you remember what I said before about the word muse?" Luffy shook his head and Tobio blanched, taking a moment to compose himself before continuing. "You see, I can't actually read thoughts. You were just mumbling aloud about some stuff and I happened to overhear it."

"Huh? Why the hell don't you ever make sense?"

The muse man waved a dismissive hand-well, as much as he could while being pinned to the ground by a rubber man. "Don't worry about it. Just know that those thoughts that confused you earlier were from me."

"Really?"

"Yep," Tobio nodded. "Basically, I just influenced your mind to give you small directions, but being one of the amazing super rookies, I'm not surprised you were able to overcome it."

Luffy didn't get it. At al. But there wasn't time to dwell on this guy's powers. No, Luffy needed answers. He grabbed a fistful of Tobio's shirt and pulled him closer, hoping to at least intimidate Tobio into giving him more information.

"Who is Avalo and what is he planning on doing to this island?"

Tobio paled at the mention of Avalo. "You're after the secrets of this island, then?"

Luffy nodded. "Yeah. It's the only way to save my friends."

"Me too."

"What are you talking about?"

Tobio's bright, honest eyes stared deep into Luffy's. This was a man who could never bare to betray his friends. "I'm talking about beating Avalo at his own game," Tobio breathed out softly.

Luffy released his hold on the man's shirt and let Tobio up, warily disengaging second gear and stepping away from the man he had just fought. Trust like this wasn't supposed to be given out so easily, he knew, but something was telling him Tobio was telling Luffy the honest truth.

"So you're a good guy?"

Tobio shrugged as he stood up, dusting himself off. "I'm not a good guy or a bad guy. I'm just someone trying to save my friends. I'm a double agent for the village elder."

"If you aren't really working for this Avalo guy, why'd you attack me?" Luffy asked.

"I was testing you."

Luffy scrunched up his nose in disgust. "Did I pass?"

Tobio gave him a thumbs up and a large grin. "With flying colors, my friend. Not a lot of people can resist those urges I send out."

So that was what had been happening. A lightbulb clicked on suddenly and everything seemed to click into place. It had been Tobio's devil fruit powers that had been telling Puffy the wrong things. Luffy could suddenly understand why not many could resist those thoughts. Not a lot of people had ever gone through the training regimen Luffy had. If his body didn't instinctually dodge, he'd probably end up with his head bashed in.

"How?"

Tobio hummed thoughtfully. "Are you asking how my powers work? Well, a muse is something that puts a thought into your brain, so as a muse man, I can literally influence your train of thought. Do you get it?"

Luffy didn't, but he nodded anyways, tired of trying to make sense of this guy's words. He'd just pass Tobio's powers off as an unsolvable "mystery" for now until he could dwell on it more later-which he would probably never ever do.

The two males sat atop the hill, a silence falling over them, which Luffy found rather uncomfortable. Was he supposed to be all chummy with a guy with cool powers that he hardly knew? Maybe he normally would have at least put in some effort to sound energetic and generally happy, but Luffy was far too emotionally drained to keep up with this.

So you wanted to know about Avalo's plans, right?" Tobio asked. He waited for Luffy's nod before continuing on. "Well, the truth is I've only recently infiltrated Avalo and Balckbeard's crew. It was hard but-"

"Wait a minute!" Luffy yelled out, jumping to his feet. In his anger and outrage, he hardly noticed Tobio flinch at his sudden raise of voice. "Did you just say Blackbeard?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm coming with you," Luffy demanded, turning his rage filled eyes toward the double agent. His body was shaking with unbridled anger. A pained feeling struck him suddenly, causing Luffy to falter and choke on a surprised inhale of oxygen. He hadn't felt like this in a long time. His body was literally humming in anticipation.

"What? What do you mean?" Tobio asked, slowly standing up as well, turning so as to face Luffy.

"I mean what I said. I'm coming with you. We're going to go kick this Avalo guy's ass all the way back to Blackbeard's sorry crew," Luffy told Tobio.

Tobio shifted uncomfortably at Luffy's enthusiasm. "You do realize he's got practically the whole island enslaved, right?"

"I don't care."

"Okay, so do you have a plan?"

"I kick his ass," Luffy stated. Why the heck was Tobio questioning this so much? Isn't this what Tonio had wanted? For someone to fight against Avalo and save the villagers?

"Luffy!"

Luffy's anger faded in a millisecond and he turned to find Zoro marching up the hill, an unusually worried look on his face. Luffy almost wanted to ask his friend what was wrong, but he kept his mouth shut, the dream creeping back up to the forefront of his mind.

"Who the hell are you?" Zoro asked, aiming a barely perceptible nod at Tobio. "He your friend, Luffy?"

Luffy shook his head. "He's some double agent mind reader guy," Luffy said.

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Mind reader?" the swordsman snorted, crossing his arms skeptically.

"I'm not a mind reader!" Tobio defended. "I'm just someone who can influence thought in battle."

"So you're a dangerous devil fruit user," Zoro said, his gaze gardening as he stared down the poor muse man.

"Zoro!" Luffy interrupted, waving his arms around like a maniac. Successfully distracted, Zoro raised an eyebrow at how different the captain was acting compared to earlier that morning.

"What is it?" Zoro asked. "Did you finally make a decision?"

Luffy slowly lowered his arms and took a step back. There it was again. Zoro wasn't supposed to be pushy like this. He was supposed to leave the "do what I say or else" to the other crew members. Zoro was just supposed to be his best friend. Zoro was supposed to steer gun right when he was wrong. In times of weakness, Zoro was supposed to build him up to be strong again. Zoro wasn't supposed to push Luffy to do anything that he didn't generally believe was right.

So that bagged the question. Did Luffy really believe that all of this was right?

Luffy looked Zoro over. The swordsman looked disheveled, his spiky green hair ruffled, his clothes in disarray and rumpled, and dark bags under his eyes. Luffy was sure he didn't look any better. He probably even looked worse.

The two pirates had traveled all this way and Luffy's friends had gone through hell and back. He couldn't just abandon them in their time of need, no matter how horrible he was feeling at the moment. They needed Luffy to get this Kudzu root and the captain had no right to ignore their needs, even with this dark shadow overlooking him. No matter how off it felt, Luffy knew he couldn't deny his friends this. They needed him.

"Yeah," Luffy responded, pulling down the brim of his hat to cover most of his face in shadow. He tried his best to hide the shakiness in his voice. "I did. I'm going to go kick Avalo's ass and save the villagers."

Zoro nodded.

"Stay here and protect Maki, Corvi, and the old guy while I'm gone, okay?"

Zoro looked uneasy at the order but nodded anyways. "Aye, captain."

Luffy turned abruptly, his trembling hand gripping his hat for any comfort it could give him. "I'll save them," Luffy whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I promise."

And Luffy followed Tobio done the hill into the forest of the unknown and beyond. There was no turning back now.

"Wait for me, Avalo. I'm going to make you wish you had never heard of Monkey D. Luffy."


	4. Chapter 4

**Please read and review! Thank you!**

* * *

Chopper was dying. Of hunger, that is. The little reindeer padded into the kitchen, humming softly.

Despite the doctor's initial diagnosis that his crew was doomed, each was progressing little by little-although, some faster than others. It was a miracle that hadn't come from anything but hard work, good care, a little time, and some cold medicine. For once, Chopper was happy to be completely and totally off the mark.

Chopper took in a small whiff of the wonderful aroma coming from the freshly made breakfast as he sat down at the table. The night before had surprisingly been one of the easiest since this whole ordeal started. Still, that didn't mean Chopper hadn't been worrying himself sick and fussing over every little thing. That's why Chopper felt he deserved this relaxing breakfast so much.

"How are you today, Chopper?" Robin asked, smiling at him from across the table.

Chopper jumper, taken off guard by her presence. He had thought that she was still sleeping.

The archaeologist hadn't completely recovered, but she had been one of the healthier of the crew. Chopper had deemed her fit enough to be walking around as long as she relaxed. Still, it was quite early and Chopper hadn't expected anyone but Sanji to be up, who wouldn't possibly turn down the opportunity to cook for his "Robin-chwan" and "Nami-swan".

"I'm okay," Chopper said, quickly recovering from his shock. "Any sign of Luffy and Zoro?"

Robin shook her head and somewhere inside him, his heart died a little. Chopper couldn't help but think of the promise Zoro was supposed to be keeping. The two were supposed to be back by today.

"Who cares about those two losses? They probably just got lost again," Sanji scoffed, sauntering towards the kitchen's other occupants. There was a sufficient lack of callousness in his voice, though. Chopper figured Sanji was just expressing his concern for the other two males in the only way he knew how to.

The cook carried a silver platter in one hand and set breakfast in front of Robin and Chopper respectively before setting the tray down and grabbing a plate for himself. Chopper tried a bite and was instantly sent to paradise. Was this what it was like to die and go to heaven? The reindeer, despite wanting to savor the taste, swallowed quickly when he realized that Sanji was probably waiting for some sort of response.

"But that's what I'm worried about. Who knows what kind of mess they got into this time?! I shouldn't have sent them to find the herb on their own," Chopper said.

"Chopper, we need to have faith in Luffy," Robin said gently. "He and Zoro were your only option at that moment."

"Robin's right," Sanji said, pausing to inhale his cigarette. "There was no way to know that we would all start to recover so quickly. You did the best with what you had, just like a true chef."

Chopper blushed at the odd compliment but he was feeling slightly downcast. As much as Chopper appreciated Robin and Sanji trying to cheer him him up, the two really had no idea of what had been happening while they were out of commission. And if Chopper had to tell them? How would they possibly react to something like depression?

Chopper internally struggled with the prospect of telling his crew mates the truth. He could do the irresponsible thing and not tell them, essentially putting them in the same boat as Zoro, but Chopper feared the potential repercussions of that choice.

Because Robin and Sanji weren't Zoro. They may have been observant in their own rights, but neither had the connection Luffy and Zoro shared with one another. Chopper trusted Zoro to figure out how to respond to Luffy's needs correctly. As long as they had that special bond of theirs, Chopper had nothing to worry about.

Robin and Sanji, on the other hand, might make Chopper's mistake and treat the captain as if he were as fragile as China, unsure of how to correctly comprehend Luffy's strange behavior. If there was one thing Chopper had learned while trying to really understand Luffy's new behavior was that normalcy was the best course of action. Even if Chopper hadn't spent copious amounts of time with the captain, he figured out that Luffy would find his way back eventually as long as he could connect to something that was familiar. That had honestly been one of the hardest lessons Chopper had ever had to learn.

There was something else trying to bug the reindeer into telling Robin and Sanji about Luffy. It was more of a theory, really, but it was nagging Chopper all the same. What would happen if the captain showed up and the crew expected a cheery, smiling Luffy and instead received a serious, depressed Luffy instead? What then? Chopper figured he'd be forced to tell the crew anyways, so why not now?

Chopper dropped his fork. The utensil dclattered against the plate, disturbing the unnatural hush that had fallen over the trio. Chopper winced. His hearing was better than humans so Chopper knew that the sound hadn't affected them as much as it did him, but he knew that the sound must have at least startled them. Chopper took a good look at Robin's and Sanji's faces. Neither bad even so much as flinched at the unexpected noise. So...maybe not.

Focus, Chopper mentally berated himself. He had made up his mind, but in his nervousness, the reindeer's mind was all over the place. He need to focus.

"Um, you guys?"

Robin gave the doctor a knowing smile while Sanji just raised his only visible eyebrow curiously, the curly but at the end bouncing at the motion. Chopper took both of these actions as signs to continue.

"Before I go on, I just want to tell you that nothing is your fault. You were sick and...and there was really nothing that anyone could have done," Chopper said.

"What do you mean?" Sanji asked. By now, his eyebrow had traveled a considerable distance away from his eye and up his forehead. It was a wonder the thing didn't fly right off his face and into his hair.

Robin's only answer was a tight smile. Chopper wondered if Robin already knew. It wouldn't surprise Chopper seeing as how Robin seemed to know anything and everything that went on around the Strawhat crew.

Chopper sucked in a steadying breath. It was now, voluntarily, or deal with a later, forced explanation. Chopper would just rather get it all over with while he was still able to collect his thoughts.

"There's something wrong with Luffy."

"You mean other than being a total moron?" Sanji asked.

"I'm not talking about Luffy's intelligence, Sanji," Chopper said, shaking his head. Robin giggled from across the table, but Chopper ignored her.

"So he's hurt. What else is new?" Sanji asked before sitting up straight and placing his hands on the table. In an alarmed voice, he added, "Did someone attack us while we were sick?"

"It isn't physical, is it, Chopper?" Robin mused, smile slowly sliding off of her face. Well, so much for the "Robin already knows" theory.

Chopper looked down at his half-eaten plate of food. Now that he knew Robin really didn't know about the situation, it made his burden seem so much heavier. He was the only one who knew how bad things had gotten. Never before had Chopper felt this lonesome, even during his days with his old herd.

"No," Chopper admitted. "At least, not at first."

"At first?" Sanji asked.

"After a day, Luffy refused to eat."

There was a stunned silence as both Robin and Sanji took that terrible, horrifying statement in. Chopper couldn't meet the crews' wide, shocked eyes, so he continued to stare down at his plate in hope that it would give him some sort of idea of how to make this news easier on everyone.

"That's..." Sanji struggled to find the right words, seemingly torn between concern and outrage. His face kept going back and forth between different expressions, and had the situation been different, Chopper probably would have laughed out loud, right along with The man who ate everything of Sanji's so readily.

"Impossible?" Chopper suggested, sounding a little flat, even to himself.

"...hard to believe," Robin finished.

Chopper shrugged, a melancholy feeling washing over him. It seemed every time the reindeer tried to think or talk about this particular subject, a glum mood settled upon him, sinkin in its sharp claws and refusing to let go.

"It was hard to watch it happen," Chopper confessed. "It was kind of a slow thing, and to be honest, I didn't even realize what was going on.

"Four days ago, Franky and Brook had both collapsed and Luffy practically fell apart. It was like something had broke inside him. It got so bad that I ended up having to sedate him."

"What happened after that?" Sanji asked cautiously, visible eye wide.

"When Luffy woke up, I could barely get him to respond to a single word I had said, but then, it was like a switch had flipped on. Luffy seemed absolutely normal."

"Like some sort of coping mechanism," Robin pondered thoughtfully.

Chopper went on to explain about the watch schedule the two had set up and how Chopper barely saw Luffy for two days straight. Chopper would sleep at night, and Luffy during the day. It had worked relatively well, until...

"Until what?" Sanji asked.

"You saw the switch happen," Robin guessed.

Chopper nodded. "I woke up two days ago and Luffy was still up, but he wasn't exactly...himself."

"So the switch does happen randomly," Robin mused.

"Chopper stared at the archaeologist, dumbfounded. "How did you...?"

Robin smiled knowingly, although it looked sort of strained. "It wasn't a hard detail to pick up on."

"But how did you know Luffy wasn't eating?" The cook asked, urging the trip to get back on topic.

"I'm a doctor!" Chopper exclaimed. The lack of energy, the sluggishness, coupled with the depression led back to lack of sleep and sufficient nutrients. "Plus, when Luffy tries to cook, it ends up a total disaster."

Sanji snorted-whether in amusement or anger, Chopper didn't know-and stood up suddenly. "I know that. What I don't know is how my kitchen ended up looking like a hurricane named Luffy tore through here." Sanji glared at the reindeer challengingly. "Care to explain, doctor?"

Oops.

Chopper chuckles nervously. It seemed that with Zoro gone, Sanji needed someone else who he could butt heads with. Chopper decided he was not going to be that someone. "Luffy was trying to make Zoro a sandwich."

"Keyword being trying," Sanji muttered.

"And so," Robin interrupted, "now Luffy and Zoro are somewhere on the island trying to get some roots to heal everyone? Even though everyone is getting better? And does Zoro know about Luffy?"

"Robin-chwan!" Sanji yelled, hearts in his eyes. "You're so observant!"

"Well, essentially," Chopper answered, opting to ignore the lovesick cook. "Zoro will be alright. He knows how to handle Luffy. And besides, the herbs will still help in the long run, even if everyone is recovering already."

Before anyone else could speak up, Chopper froze, ears twitching. Someone was calling for him, and by the sound of it, it didn't seem like it was in joy. That ruled out Zoro and Luffy. So the only ones left were those in the cabins: Nami, Usopp, Franky, or Brook.

Chopper lept up, letting the chair clatter to the ground in his haste. The doctor raced from the kitchen and into the girls' cabin in no time flat, shifting into walk point. From inside he could hear Usopp yelling frantically.

"CHOPPER!"

The cabin door opened with a bang, revealing a rather horrible scene. Robin and Sanji were right behind him and both stopped at the sight in front of them. Sanji even sucked in a terrified breath, but made no move forward. He seemed to be frozen in fear.

Nami was convulsing. Usopp tried his best to hold the orange-haired girl down, but the sniper was still too weak himself to keep her still. Chopper almost slapped Usopp upside the head, but had to remind himself that Usopp had literally no idea what he was doing.

Chopper wasted no more time and, shiftin into his heavy point, rushed over to the struggling Usopp. He pulled his sick friend away from the convulsing patient. Yes, this was his friend and crewmate, someone he looked up to and cared about dearly, but right now, Nami was a patient who needed Chopper to be her doctor. He needed to focus.

"Don't hold her down! Try to get her onto her side if you can. I don't want her to choke," Chopper commanded.

Usopp nodded and approached Nami once again. Together, Chopper and Usopp managed to keep Nami from falling onto the floor and hurting herself.

By the time thirty seconds was over with, the seizure had passed, leaving Usopp and chopper panting from their efforts. The reindeer hurried to check Nami's vitals and breathed a sigh of relief as he did so, finding Nami to just be unconscious.

It was odd, though. There had been nothing to suggest the crew would be at risk of seizures nothing about this mystery illness was adding up. Why would Kudzu root work against it when nothing else would? And why had everyone else started to recover, but Nami was suddenly having seizures? Whatever the reason, Chopper wasn't going to find the answer by just staring at the tangerine-loving girl. It was time to get back to studying this odd sickness instead of sitting and waiting for a miracle.

Chopper turned to the others. Usopp was shaking, Robin was white as a sheet, and Sanji looked to be on the verge of murdering someone. It wasn't hard to tell that they were worried and freaked out by everything as well.

The cook suddenly whirled around and stalked towards the door, throwing it open.

"Wait! Sanji! Where are you going?!" Chopper cried out.

"I'm going to go look for those morons and bring them and that shitty Kudzu root back here," Sanji said, jaw set in anger. And with those parting words he stormed out of the cabin, a force to be reckoned with.

There was a beat of silence after Sanji's exit. It settled heavily upon Chopper's shoulders. Why was he slowly losing his crew mates to this sickness?

"What happens now?" Usopp asked tentatively. "I mean, uh, what's going to happen with all three of those monsters loose on the island?"

Chopper sighed, glancing at the healthiest crew members aboard the ship. "For now, all we can do is try to keep everyone as healthy as they can get. And pray that we get the Kudzu root soon. Nami's going to need it."

"And what are you going to do now?" Robin asked.

Chopper stared at Nami a moment longer, sorting through his thoughts. There was no way to just will her back to health. This was going to be a far longer and tougher road then he had originally thought. "For now, I'm going to go check on Franky and Brook. If the others come back, come get me."

And Chopper only hoped they came back soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Again, please read and review!**

* * *

Zoro watched Luffy's retreating back uneasily. He stood there at the top of the hill, even after Luffy and the double agent guy had disappeared into the foliage. The sun had reached its peak by the time he finally managed to get any of his thoughts in order.

Zoro had lied to Luffy, his captain, a total of two times in his life. This was one of those times. He felt guilt start to overwhelm him, like someone was ripping his heart out of his chest and stomping on the muscle right in front of him. There was only one thing he could think to do to make up for this.

He would make sure he would keep his damn promise.

"Moss Head?"

Zoro jumped and spun around on his heel, only to find himself face to face with the last person in any of the seas he would want to be stuck with.

"Damn love cook," Zoro growled in some sort of greeting. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Sanji shrugged his shoulders, shoving his hands into his pockets before sauntering up the hill to meet Zoro at its crest. With the sun right above them, Zoro was practically blinded by the light reflecting off of the cook's hair.

"Where's Luffy?" Sanji wondered a small crease pulling his visible swirly eyebrow down in worry at the rubber headed captain's absence.

"Gone."

Sanji's breath hitched and his body tensed at Zoro's answer. The blond chef looked his rival up and down with a hardened gaze, looking for all the world like he was going to murder Zoro.

Zoro backed up a step at the cook's intense glare of hatred, not fully understanding that loathing look in Sanji's eye. He had done nothing to Sanji's precious "Nami-swan" or "Robin-chwan". It was just Luffy. The rubber man was the capable pirate who had taken down dozens of enemies, gone through hell and wouldn't go down without a fight. Luffy could take care of himself.

You couldn't even take care of Luffy, a voice from the back of his mind piped up. What makes you think that that idiot can do anything to stop himself from completely self-destructing?

He told the betraying voice to can it. Unfortunately for Zoro, Sanji decided that was the moment to make him feel even worse.

"You bastard!" Sanji hissed, teeth grounding together. The cook grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer to his face, cigarette dangling loosely from his lips. Sanji's pupils dilated in anger. Zoro resisted and instinctually reached for a sword. "How dare you let Luffy do something that reckless! I may not have been here with Luffy personally, but the captain's probably depressed, Zoro. You know how he gets sometimes! Why did you send him off alone?!"

By the end of it, Sanji was huffing from anger. Eye stared into eye, neither backing down. Zoro set his jaw. He didn't have to explain anything to the perverted chef. Besides, he couldn't disobey the captain's orders, especially when Zoro himself was the main cause for Luffy leaving.

Zoro had seen the signs. He knew exactly what he Luffy was going through, he just didn't know how to deal with it. Encouragement? Pushing Luffy in the right direction? It just didn't seem strong enough to make any difference. Luffy was supposed to be strong, always on the path to his dream, but now that Luffy had strayed, Zoro was supposed to fix it for him. The only question was, how the hell was he supposed to do that when he couldn't imagine what was going through the idiot's brain?

"Captain's orders," Zoro explained tersely.

Sanji's grip on Zoro's collar loosened and his eye widened in disbelief. The cook was speechless, his mouth gaping as he struggled for the use of words. Zoro's didn't know if it was anger or shock, but he sure as hell didn't want to be on the receiving end of those emotions.

"What the hell, Zoro?!" Sanji cried. "Why do you always have to do that?!"

That hit Zoro right where it hurt. It was his captain. Of course he would respect his captain's wishes. This crew wouldn't turn into another Water 7 incident.

"Orders are orders, Sanji," Zoro said, determined to not budge on this issue. "Luffy is our captain, or have you not learned anything over the past two years."

"Don't accuse me of not understanding anything. I know that Luffy's my captain, but I also know that sometimes, people break," Sanji said.

"I have faith in Luffy."

"He's still a person, Zoro! He's not some legend! Not to us! He has feelings! He has limits, just like everyone else!"

"I know that, you idiot!" Zoro yelled. He clenched his fists before taking a deep breath and saying in a lower, calmer tone, "Of course I know that. But think about it. We've only gotten this far because we've trusted him to be our captain. What happens when that trust fails? He's our captain and we, as his crew, need to know when to step up behind him and follow his orders."

"Why...Why do you always follow orders form him so blindly?"

"Because I made a promise to him."

Sanji was silent, remembering way back then, when they were stupid and naïve, facing the world and its vast seas with ignorance. The two rivals stared at each other, contemplating the other's words. Eventually, the cook sighed and Zoro knew that they had reached an understanding.

The wind whipped past them, showering Zoro with dancing leaves spring leaves. Sanji chuckled as Zoro attempted to wave away the leaves from his face. It was to no avail, though. The leaves were persistent and kept flying into his face until the breeze let up a few seconds later.

Scowling, Zoro led the way down the hill and towards the village, heading to the elder's house.

"Come on, eyebrow. We've got things to do."

To Zoro's immense surprise, Sanji didn't retort back, he just waved a dismissive hand. "Right, right. I'm coming, you over grown seaweed."

The walk back to the weathered, old house wasn't long, but with how awkward Zoro was feeling about Sanji's sudden change in attitude, it seemed like years before the two pirates finally saw Maki and the elder waiting outside.

Maki, as soon as she saw Zoro, ran over to him. Zoro's heart almost stopped at her teary-eyed, heartbroken expression.

"Did you find him?" she asked, even while peering around him, seeing him no one else save Sanji in sight.

Zoro shook his head and knelt down to meet her gaze at eye level. "I didn't. But I promised, didn't I? I'm not going to go back on my word."

"But what if he's gone forever?" Maki sobbed, hiding her face behind her hands. But Zoro didn't have to see her face to know that the waterworks were starting. The swordsman laid a gentle, calloused hand on the girl's shoulder, causing her to sniff softly and meet Zoro's one eyed gaze.

"A promise is a promise. We'll find him, okay?"

Maki nodded. She wiped away the remaining tears and gave the swordsman a shaky smile. "'Kay."

Sanji whistled after Maki had turned away to her grandfather. Zoro stood up from his kneeling position and scowled at the cook.

"What the hell do you want, love cook?"

"Who knew you were any good with kids, moss head?"

Zoro spluttered at that and whirled around quickly, looking for some sort of escape from this conversation. It was heading in a direction that Zoro did not feel comfortable with. On his list of Things to Avoid Talking to Annoying Cooks With, emotions and kids were in the top ten.

The elder walked over to the pirates, Maki two steps behind. Again, she looked just like a little puppy, and Zoro wasn't all too enthusiastic about watching the relationship between these two. He didn't know anything about seeing someone as an idol, and he sure as hell didn't want to.

"Who is this?" the old man asked, gesturing to Sanji.

"This is mine and Luffy's cook," Zoro introduced, jutting a thumb over his shoulder at the blond. "He's a pervert and his food tastes like shit."

Sanji's curled eyebrow twitched and he cleared his throat, fixing his tie in order to keep his anger in check. "You shitty moss head," he growled lowly, trying for some semblance of politeness. He turned to the curious villagers. "I'm Sanji."

"Maki! Dad!"

Zoro and Sanji spun around. A crowd of people were making their dirt road, the men dressed similarly to the double agent guy that Luffy had left with and the women dressed similarly to Maki—in spotless white dresses. They were getting closer, the man in front waving eagerly to the old man and Maki.

He was the only one who was enthusiastic, though. Behind him, fear, annoyance, or distress were the most evident looks adorning the faces of the crowd.

Zoro raised an eyebrow as he watched the crowd march closer. They stopped right before Zoro and Sanji—except for the man in the front. The one who had called out walked straight past the pirates as if they didn't even exist. Zoro watched warily as the man held out a hand to the elder and the little girl.

"It's been a while, right Maki?"

Maki was stricken with confusion. "Dad? What are you doing here?"

"Koji." The man turned his attention to the elder. "We don't have any significant bounties for you. I think you should go back to Avalo for now. We will send for you—and only you—when there is a bounty."

The man—Koji, Zoro figured—stroked his chin thoughtfully. His bright eyes stood out against his dark skin. Somehow, those eyes bothered Zoro. The man looked too cheery and happy to be normal. It unsettled Zoro. "Oh? But what about these guys?"

The elder shook his head. "They aren't pirates with a significant bounty, Koji. Listen to your father when he talks."

"Really?" Koji wondered, scratching his head, a small frown pulling the corners of his lips down. "That doesn't seem right. The blond one I don't recognize, but that's Pirate Hunter Zoro, isn't it?"

The elder sighed. "I have no interest in fighting you, son, but this man is here to help us. Let him."

"And then what?" Koji's gaze darkened, donning a malicious smile. There was a certain gleam in Koji's eyes that reminded Zoro of a madman; of someone who had been driven crazy from having seen too much of this cruel world. Zoro snorted. If this man was so weak-willed that he would let madness overtake him so easily, then he was a coward in Zoro's eyes.

"Dad," Maki begged, grabbing Koji's hand with her own. "Please don't hurt them. They're trying to help. The scarred man even said he would help look for Corvi!"

"I don't care about that stupid dog!" Koji yelled, smacking the girl's hand away. The bright-eyed man took a deep breath and formed a sickly sweet smile. "Maki, you know that the only way to save the village is to collect the pirates with huge bounties! And with the alcoholic poison, it's a cinch! Avalo and Blackbeard are so pleased with us right now!"

"B-Blackbeard? Alcoholic poison?" Sanji whispered, looking at Zoro, alarmed. Zoro just grimaced, focusing his attention back on Koji and the old man.

"Koji, listen," the elder said, "I want you to know that the village's safety does not rest on your shoulders alone. Look at how your friends and family look! They don't want to do this anymore! Why, when we finally have a chance to be saved, are you trying to drag this village farther into the dark?"

"The dark?" Koji asked. "You really think that pirates could help us right now? Pirates are what got us into this mess!"

"Don't act like we both aren't trusting pirates, Koji! It's just a matter of who you believe will actually stay true to their word? Do you trust the ones who imprisoned us or the ones who came here to save their friends?"

"I don't trust any of them!" Koji yelled, clenching his fists. His eyes narrowed. "They're pirates! All they do is take and steal in the name of adventure! They ruined our lives!"

"And we could save your sorry asses if you weren't acting so idiotically," Sanji muttered, pulling out a new cigarette. It took a few times to get the lighter to work, but eventually the cook managed it, putting the flame to the end of his cancer stick. Taking a puff and then releasing a puff of smoke, the cook looked the surprised Koji over. "What? You got something against accepting help? Because it looks like you're doing a bang up job by yourself."

"Sanji," Zoro said in a warning tone.

Normally the swordsman wouldn't interfere with Sanji's taunting, but after the reveal that Marshall D. Teach was involved in this situation, it was evident that Sanji was on edge. Zoro just sighed at the other's betrayed look and stepped forward to discuss the topic.

"We're not here to save anyone," Zoro said. Seeing Koji open his mouth, Zoro held up a hand, silencing him before he could say the silent I told you so. "When we landed on this island, Luffy and I, probably just like many of the other pirates that have come here before us, were only searching for a remedy to cure our friends."

"What do you mean we have to leave?" Zoro yelled. "We need that Kudzu Root! Didn't you say you would make a deal with Luffy?!"

"I said we would talk. I said nothing of a deal," the old man said, his voice colder than the tip of your fingers after a snowball fight.

"You can't be serious! We need to save our crew!"

"And I need to save my village," the man retorted. "As humans, we often are the most selfish when our worlds are crashing down around us, don't you think?"

Zoro shook his head. "I don't know what that's supposed to mean. 'When our worlds are crashing down around us?' I think humans always, always watch out for themselves and the ones closest to them first. Like now. In this case, we can both get what we need. I'm not an idiot. I realized why the village was so empty."

"Then you understand that we have had no choice but do as Avalo and Blackbeard have ordered."

"Blackbeard?" Zoro asked, freezing in place. "What does Blackbeard have to do with this?"

"This island is part of that emperor's territory," the old man sighed. "Avalo is a member of his crew, left to watch over this island and collect the bounties of those that land here."

"How do they do that?" Zoro asked, fearing the answer but hating not knowing the truth. "How would they collect the pirates' bounties if they're just going to fight back? Avalo can't be powerful enough to take on a whole crew."

"It's the poison."

"You sell it at the previous island," Zoro guessed.

The man nodded. "It's mixed into the alcohol, only sold to pirates who are headed here. It's a quick, easy way to incapacitate them without having to directly fight them."

"Blackbeard would want them alive."

"Ah," the man nodded. Silence reigned for a few moments as the old man contemplated their conversation. Something in his expression seemed to soften. "So you've figured it out, have you? Fine, very well. I'm tired of killing. You and your companion came here looking to save your friends. Judging by your appearance, you were affected and treated already, right?"

Zoro nodded. "But Luffy wasn't."

The man waved a dismissive hand. "You've convinced this old man already. I congratulate on you figuring it out. The village is under Avalo's control and we're forced to poison pirates so we can collect their bounties, hoping one day we can reach a thousand bounties and be set free. We need the pirates alive, though, you are right, so we have plenty of Kudzu Root. I promise, that in return for your services, you will be able to have our Kudzu Root."

"Selfishly, Luffy and I demanded that this village hand over the cure, but what we didn't realize at the time was this village was suffering, just like we were. I talked to the old man and struck a deal. If Luffy agreed, we would fight for this island in order to save our friends."

"Zoro..."

Zoroo looked over to Sanji. The cook was stunned, eye wide and cigarette dangling from his lips. He smirked before turning back to Koji.

"Don't blame the ones who are trying to save you, Koji," Zoro warned. "Luffy may have chosen to help you, but that doesn't change the fact that you are right. We are pirates. We're not afraid to take what we need if we have to. At the moment, Luffy and I are willing to die to save your village. Are you going to let us?"

Koji growled, fists clenched. "You damn pirate. You're not going to ruin our lives again!"

Koji brought up a fist, aiming clumsily at Zoro's cheek. He swiped past, Zoro inching back a little to avoid the hit. The stumbled forward, having overcompensated how much weight he put into the swing. He growled and swung again. And again. And again. Each time, Zoro dodged easily, hardly having to move an inch. The strikes grew clumsier in Koji's frustration and after a couple more swings, Zoro had had it. He caught the next punch in his fist easily. Koji struggled, but Zoro refused to let go.

"You're lives are already ruined!" Zoro yelled. "How many times have you and the rest of the villagers had to lie in order to keep up this hopeless quest! Everyone else has had it. They're willing to give us a chance, so why aren't you?"

Koji was silent for a moment before he finally spoke in a sad, low tone. Zoro thought of a rainstorm, clouds blocking the sun from lighting up the day with its brilliance. This man had closed the curtains on that rainstorm, all hope of seeing the sun again lost.

"My wife..." the old man said. "My wife, she was killed by Avalo when Blackbeard's crew first landed here."

"So shouldn't you hate Avalo? Despising him instead of killing him?"

"It's not that simple," Koji growled. "I do hate him, but he's the only way this village will be liberated. What chance do you and your crew have, especially when half of them are poisoned?"

Sanji sighed. "You really don't get it, do you? This is Monkey D. Luffy we're talking about. As soon as he hears the name Blackbeard, he won't be able to rest until he takes that shitty bastard down."

"Strawhat Luffy?"

Zoro snorted, releasing Koji's hand. Of course this man hadn't put two and two together. "Yes. Strawhat Luffy. Our captain."

The elder walked forward, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "Koji, I think you should let these pirates help us. In return, we and the rest of the villagers will take enough Kudzu Root to your ship to help make the remedy. I'm sure your doctor has his hands full."

Sanji and Zoro stared at the man in wonder.

"Really?" Sanji asked. "You would do that?"

The man nodded. "Go find your friend. I'm sure he would want to hear the good news. Besides, you can back him up in his fight against Avalo."

Zoro grinned, a hand on Sandai Kitetsu. "Thanks, old geezer. Take care of our crew." Zoro turned to look at Maki. "And when I get back, I promise I'll have Corvi with me."

Sanji and Zoro turned and ran towards the forest, running into the trees bickering back and forth about who could get to Luffy the fastest.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sixth chapter! Hope you enjoy! This is where things start to really pick up!**

* * *

"Strawhat?"

Luffy looked to Tobio questioningly, head cocked to the side in innocence. "What is it?" he asked.

"N-Nothing!" the double agent stuttered, waving his arms around in apology. "You just looked a little red in the face. I was just wondering if you were developing a fever."

"Oh," Luffy said, surprised the villager had even thought about him. "Nah, I was just thinking."

"Your face gets red when you think?"

Luffy laughed at the skeptical tone in in Tobio's voice. It was true that it didn't seem very likely, but Luffy wasn't an avid thinker. Too much of it made his brain hurt, so he usually tended to avoid it. Though, yesterday and today had been a lot of mental work for him. Just thinking normal thoughts made his head hurt. If he wasn't careful, he could probably end up developing a fever.

"It happened once," Luffy revealed casually.

It was true. Once, when he and Ace were trying to escape some brutes from Edge Town, they had gotten lost in the labyrinth that was Gray Terminal. Both tried to put their heads together to find a quick way out of the situation, but Luffy had thought so much he had gotten sick. Sure he had been feeling crummy the entire day, but thinking had just made everything ten times worse. Ace had to pull it together and carry Luffy and their stolen medicine back to Mt. Corvo.

Tobio laughed. "That actually doesn't surprise me. You seem like that type that doesn't use his head too much."

Luffy nodded enthusiastically. "It hurts my brain, so I like to let Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and Robin do the thinking for me. I just do what my gut tells me. Although, I'm better at using my head since Rayleigh taught me how to fight smarter."

Tobio looked a little lost but nodded anyways. "That sounds complicated. Aren't you the captain of your ship? Don't you have to think about things like what the best decision to make is?"

Luffy shrugged. "I usually go with what feels right. Or, if the arrow is spinning like crazy, I like to go to that island! It usually has the best adventures!"

"You're an adventure kind of guy," Tobio said, smiling wryly. "Why does that not surprise me?"

A rustling in the bushes caught both males' attentions. They stopped walking. Luffy being the more curious of the two, moved forward to peer through the bushes, only to find a clearing on the other side with a large building on the other side. Luffy looked down, turning back to the clearing when he realized the rustling had been a rabbit hopping out of the bushes and into the clearing.

"What's this?"

"What's what?" Tobio asked, crouching down to find out what was so interesting behind the bush. After peering through, the villager's eyes widened in surprise. "This is...This must be Avalo's base!"

"Really?" Luffy asked. "That's so cool! It was so close!"

Tobio shook his head. We've only been walking for half an hour. Why would Avalo keep his secret base so close to the village?"

Luffy shrugged. "Does it matter? We found it, right?"

They crept out of the bushes, keeping low to the ground and trying their best to stay quiet. Even Luffy, usually loud and uncaring, made sure he didn't make a sound. This wasn't something that he could take lightly. Avalo could be anywhere.

Luffy sensed it before Tobio could shout it out.

"Look out!"

Luffy grabbed Tobio's hand and jumped back a few yards, just in time to dodge a giant bullet that could rival a cannon ball. The bullet exploded at their feet, making Luffy wonder if it actually was a cannon ball. The blast left a crater the size of Sunny's head, leaving no qualms about how powerful the blast was. The explosion sent smoke and dirt into the air. Luffy waited until it cleared before talking.

"Are you Avalo?" he addressed the man with the twin flintlocks. They were giant, the right fit for his gigantic hands.

"Avalo Pizarro," the man said, bowing in a mockingly royal manner.

"The Corrupt King," Tobio whispered next to him, his tone somewhere between awe and disgust.

The man held himself with authority and esteem, as if he really was a king. His clothes sure suggested it, since he was adorned not with simple pirate clothing, but extravagant furs and fabrics. He mustache was ran to the width of his shoulders, blue sideburns dangling to form that symbol that Robin had always talked about. The one that stood for a number. Pie? Luffy didn't ponder it much longer, continuing his look over of his opponent. Where his sideburns and his blue hair touched at his temples, horns protruded outward. With his black spotted coat and horns, he reminded Luffy of a cow.

Luffy found himself trembling. This man was a member of Blackbeard's crew. He knew he was confusing Tobio with his complete mood reversal, but the rubber teen couldn't help it. He was brimming with anger.

"Where is Blackbeard?" Luffy demanded.

Unfortunately, Avalo hardly reacted. "Yeah, yeah, Strawhat. I get your pissed at the captain for your brother's death, but remember that he wasn't the one to actually kill Fire Fist. Akainu did."

"I don't care!" Luffy roared. "Ace only died because Blackbeard turned him in after betraying his own crew! It's unforgivable!"

Settling in his horse stance, Luffy pumped one of his legs, causing his blood flow to speed up and tinge his skin pink. His rubber skin was heating up from the fast-paced blood, causing it to emit steam. "Second Gear," he murmured to himself.

Avalo didn't look impressed. Instead, the man sighed.

"I never wanted to work on this dull island," Avalo admitted. "Blackbeard ordered it, though, so I came here. Who knew that Strawhat himself would come to grace my presence?" Avalo laughed softly to himself.

Luffy didn't say anything. If anything, his expression grew stormier. This was the man who had broken out of Impel Down with Blackbeard. One of the feared prisoners of Level 6. But Luffy had trained with Rayleigh for years. He would defeat this man, for Ace.

The teen shot forward with blinding speed, seeming to disappear from sight. He heard Tobio gasp, but didn't bother to look the other man's way. It wouldn't do to get distracted. He reappeared in front of Avalo's large form, pulling an arm back to punch his fist into the man's gut. Surprisingly, the attack hit. Ripples resonated from Luffy's punch and Luffy stepped back uncertainly. This wasn't right.

Avalo began to chuckle before he fell into a full on laughing fit. "You call that a punch, boy?!"

Luffy's grim determination began to waver, wondering wearily if this was going to go as he had planned. Growling, Luffy set his shoulders, steering himself forward. Disappearing once more with extraordinary speed, Luffy knew he could only try again. This time, Luffy descended from above.

Avalo didn't even bother to move as Luffy extended his arm back and thrust it forward, willing himself to stretch. He slammed his fist down on the man's head, but just like before it was a useless. Avalo wouldn't budge. He absorbed Luffy's punches like a gel pack, the shock just rippling through his body ineffectively. Luffy didn't understand how the bastard was managing it, but it was causing a hell of a lot of problems for Luffy.

"Surprised?" Avalo asked when Luffy landed in front of him again, casually examining his nails. It pissed Luffy off. The man grins. "It's hard to feel your punches as anything worse than a mosquito bite when I've stood up to Sengoku's hits before. Yours are nothing compared to that monster."

"Shut up," Luffy growled. "I promised that I would defeat you."

Avalo raised an eyebrow, flintlock raised with it. "You promised? Too bad you won't be keeping that promise."

He fired. It didn't matter. Luffy only took a step to the right, successfully dodging the giant bullet. Avalo fired again, that sickening smile never leaving his mustached face. Again and again he fired, and again and again Luffy dodged, his Observation Haki working overtime to keep up with the man's fast paced shots. Behind him, trees exploded and dirt flew up in the air. He didn't care. Slowly but surely, he made his way toward the blue-haired man.

The worst part about all this was that Avalo didn't even look slightly ruffled by the fact that Luffy kept dodging all of his attacks. Meanwhile, Luffy could only find his temper rising, to the point where he felt he was going to explode in anger. This was the man who had forced those villagers to do things they hadn't wanted to do. Luffy may not have known everything the man had done, but he imagined it was bad. This man was the reason his crew was in the danger it was. If he could defeat this man, then his crew would be able to gain the Kudzu Root they needed.

It was like hitting two birds with one stone. And one of those birds was Blackbeard.

Finally, Luffy reached Avalo. The two stared the other down, neither moving an inch. The smiling bastard he was, Avalo let his finger twitch as he hovered over the trigger, and like some sort of signal had sounded, Luffy attacked.

He punched the air in front of him, letting his arms extend further and further the faster he punched. "Gum Gum Gatling!" he roared, driving his fists into the man's stomach at breakneck speeds.

Avalo's grin faltered for a moment as he tried to absorb the shock, but it was back seconds later. The man jumped backwards, leaving Luffy to punch nothing but air. Luffy stopped his attack and glared heatedly at his opponent. Avalo held up a flintlock and fired. Luffy back flipped out of the way, narrowly missing the explosive bullet. Grimly, Luffy set forward to attack again.

He knew what he saw. Avalo had taken some damage from his punches. He had to keep trying. As long as he dodged those crazy bullets, he would be okay. He just needed to keep attacking Avalo. If he let up now, he might not have the strength or determination to keep going.

Pushing himself forward, the straw hatted teen ran towards Avalo, disappearing from his sights only to reappear behind him.

Doing the same thing as last time, Luffy began to rapidly punch Avalo's more vulnerable back, arms extending faster and faster. Luffy was pushing himself, but he saw no choice in the matter. Again, Avalo's resistant body absorbed most of the shock from Luffy's attack, but this time Avalo flinched, turning around to fire his flintlock at Luffy again. Except Luffy was no longer there. He was in the air again, bombarding the man with his Gatling punches once more.

Avalo ducked out of the way, leaving Luffy to break up the ground instead. Pulling his arms back, Luffy landed on the split ground, glaring at the man. He had found it. Finally. This man could absorb shock, but not all at once.

Narrowing his eyes, Luffy pressed forward once again. The rubber teen ducked as a heavy flintlock passed over his head. Luffy danced out of the way as its twin slammed down on the ground in front of him.

Still smiling—although, to Luffy it looked a little forced—Avalo did nothing more but hold out his flintlock like he was challenging the teen. "Tell your friend over there that his fruit isn't going to work on me. I'm not a weak-minded little brat like he seems to take me for," Avalo said coolly.

Luffy glanced at Tobio from the corner of his eyes, watching as the villager broke his concentrated look, swore, and darted into the safety of the bushes. Seeing Tobio clear of danger, Luffy returned his full attention to the blue-haired manin front of him. He would not lose.

Taking a chance, Luffy disappeared again, materializing right between the parallel flintlocks. When the guns smashed together, Luffy jumped up, sandals slapping down on top of the crossed weapons. He glared down at Avalo.

"I will not lose to you," Luffy repeated, this time out loud. "I will defeat you."

Avalo finally lost his smile, his patience flying out the window after it. "You're a little brat. Stop dodging and let me blow you to little pieces or I'll take my anger out on this precious island of yours."

Luffy said nothing. Instead, he raised a fist, brought it forward, and then stretched it backwards. Avalo just stared at him like he was crazy, but strangely did nothing to interfere. Luffy grit his teeth, covering his fist with Armament Haki. He looked down at the man who had destroyed this village's hope. The one who had inadvertently doomed his friends. This man was despicable.

All that anger built up inside Luffy as he pulled his fist forward. His fist heated up as he pulled it forward, sparking a flame. That flame grew, enveloping Luffy's whole arm. Luffy's eyes were shadowed by his hat as he pulled forward his arm. As his fist got closer, he looked Avalo straight in the eyes, pupils dilated with unadulterated rage.

"This is for this island, for the villagers, for my friends, and most of all...THIS IS FOR ACE! RED HAWK!" Luffy roared, slamming his flame covered fist into the other man's face, forcing all his weight into that single punch.

Avalo's eyes rolled back into his head, his body rippling as it received the shock but was unable to absorb all of the weight Luffy had thrown into it. Flames licked greedily at the man's body as it tried to find some sort of balance. Avalo most likely wasn't used to the pain, falling to his knees almost immediately after the blood had spurted from his mouth. Being able to absorb attacks to the body, Luffy wasn't surprised that Avalo's pain tolerance was so low after the shock absorption stopped.

Luffy hopped back, watching with enraged eyes as Avalo crumpled in on himself, finally succumbing to unconscious. Releasing second gear, Luffy finally let out a small, steadying breath, which turned into several, until he was left panting. Using his Haki and his gears at the same time always seemed to exhaust him.

Luffy let his legs buckle, falling to his knees.

It was over.

"Strawhat!" Tobio yelled enthusiastically, darting from his hiding place to kneel awkwardly next to where Luffy had collapsed. "You did it! You saved the village!"

The look Tobio shot him was one beyond gratitude. Tobio had watched the entire fight, and he must have realized how much force Luffy had put behind those punches. It had taken a lot of determination to take Avalo down, and Tobio had to have realized that. That must have been the reason he decided to try and help, even if in the end if didn't actually help much.

Luffy nodded, a numb feeling overtaking him. "I did it," he whispered.

But it didn't feel like he did it. It wasn't a complete victory for him. His friends were sure to be saved now, but the one responsible for Ace's death wasn't this man, no matter how much Luffy wanted to feel like he had exacted his revenge. Avalo had had nothing to do with Ace getting captured. He'd been in Impel Down at the time, and Luffy couldn't help but despair at that thought. He had thought he would come closer to finding a way to heal that Ace-shaped hole in his heart with this man's defeat, but there was just the undeniable fact that this wasn't Blackbeard.

Luffy took a moment to survey the battleground around him. Nothing had been spared in their battle. The clearing, which had looked so peaceful and pristine before, was now crater ridden. Dust and smoke still swirled around in the breeze. The building hadn't been saved, either. It was burnt to ashes and Luffy could only hope no one had been in it. Luffy sighed at the mess he and Avalo had made, hoping that this clearing wasn't extremely to any of the villagers. Well, by Tobio's reactions even if it was, the villagers would probably too full of joy to care.

"I'm going to get some help to get this guy out of here," Tobio told him. "I'll be right back with some help for you, too. Your crew mate is in the village, right?"

"Yeah," Luffy breathed, unsure of what this weight in chest was. "But what are you going to do with...him?" He pointed to Avalo's charred, unconscious form.

Tobio shrugged. "The village Elder decides that kind of stuff. Or Koji, if the Elder is sick or busy. But my guess is we'll turn Avalo into the marines and collect the bounty, maybe use the money to hire some mercenaries to protect us in case Blackbeard comes here to get Avalo. It's the easiest way to get rid of him, though. And I doubt Blackbeard will know for a while, seeing as the only time he's actually been here is when he dropped Avalo off and took over the island."

"But he might find out," Luffy pointed out. "If he attacks your island again, I want to know. You have a transponder snail, right?"

Tobio nodded.

"Good. Call us, then."

"I will."

And then Tobio left, leaving Luffy to settle his thoughts by himself. He had gone to inform the other villagers of the victory Strawhat Luffy had pulled off for them. Luffy wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about that, so he just didn't. It did no use to think when all his mind did was travel in dizzying circles. Staring up at the blue sky from his position on the ground, Luffy could only wonder what he was to do now. Tobio had gone back to the village to spread the good news, but would they make it in time? And what about the limited Kudzu Root?

"Luffy?"

"Zoro?" Luffy said, looking up at his first mate in wonder. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for a dog," Zoro admitted. Luffy, stunned, looked Zoro straight in the eye. Without having to say a word, Luffy was immediately reassured. The tension in his stiff shoulders relaxed. His crew was alright.

Sanji, beside the swordsman, rolled his eyes. "We came here to help you, but," his eyes wandered to Avalo's unconscious form, "it looks like you have everything under control."

Luffy grinned, feeling a semblance of peace he hadn't felt for more than a weak. Something within him settled down, not so frantic anymore. He felt a more grounded than he had since Zoro first fell ill. It was over, and they could go back to where his home was. Even if he couldn't fill his the Ace-shaped hole in his heart with Avalo's defeat, he could still be with his friends. His crew was his family, too, after all.

Sanji sighed, lifting Luffy to his exhausted feet. "Let's get you back to the ship, Captain."

"Wait," Zoro called. His gaze was cast to the side and his cheeks were red. "I promised Maki I'd find Corvi."

Luffy laughed. "Let's go find Meat, then!" he proclaimed. "And after that, we can go back and see how everyone is doing! Then we can have a party! Cook lots of meat, Sanji! Oh! But make sure you don't accidentally cook Meat. Maki and that dog are friends."

"I'll just pretend I know what the hell goes through that shitty brain of yours."

"Come on, love cook. Help me get Luffy on my back. Then we'll go look for that dog."

"Don't tell me what to do, moss head," Sanji grumbled, rolling his eyes. He helped Zoro anyways.

Luffy just laughed. He couldn't wait to see everyone else.


	7. Chapter 7

**This is the last chapter! I really hope you did enjoy this. I know I'm not the best writer, but I hope that after writing this I have improved to some degree. Let me know what you thought!**

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Chopper couldn't even find it in himself to be surprised when the villagers showed up with baskets of Kudzu Root. Instead, the little reindeer just helped create and administer the cure for the illness—which was alcoholic poison, his brain scolded—to his sick crew mates. When he was all finished, he nodded his furry little head respectfully to the village elder.

"Doctor Chopper, I presume? You must be a great doctor for recognizing that Kudzu Root was needed to treat the poison," the elder commended. Chopper, astonished at the recognition, just stared at the man, too surprised to fall back into that old habit of insulted people who praised him.

"Did Luffy tell you my name?" Chopper asked, skipping past the compliment at his skills. He could address that later, when everything made sense.

The elder shook his head. "We, as a village, were bounty hunters. I've seen your wanted poster."

"Bounty hunters?" Chopper squeaked, feeling dread shoot through him. They couldn't possibly be here to capture them, could they?

The elder nodded gravely. "We were."

"If you don't mind me asking, Elder," Robin interrupted from her seat at the table, "you said 'were', implying that you aren't anymore. Do you mind telling me why that's changed?"

There was a knowing smile gracing Robin's lips that Chopper just couldn't seem to understand. She had a book next to her, put down when the villagers had come aboard to help treat everyone. If Chopper didn't know better, he would have thought Robin had known how this was all going to play out in the end.

The old man scratched his head, an ashamed look on his face. "Those friends of yours are very interesting, Nico Robin. Especially that swordsman of yours."

"Swordsman?"

"Zoro?"

The raised eyebrows behind both questions were implied.

The elder nodded. "He managed to change the village's mind about capturing Strawhat. He even convinced us to make a deal."

Zoro had done that? Chopper could only look to Robin in surprise. Even the archaeologist seemed caught off guard. Usually it was Luffy who changed the hearts of their enemies, not the stoic swordsman. Chopper thought back to the way Luffy had been acting. Now that he really thought about it, Luffy was probably much too caught up in his own world of darkness and depression to appeal to others. Zoro must have had to step up to the plate.

"Doctor Chopper," the old man cleared his throat, "how did you cure three people?"

Chopper blinked owlishly at the elder, mind racing. Three people. The only person he had cured was Zoro. Why would the elder get the impression that he had cured anyone else?

"I'm afraid that I don't understand, Elder," Chopper admitted.

"It's just, that when we got here, Miss Nico Robin was already half cured. And your cook, he was in practically the same situation," the elder explained.

Robin raised her hand. "I'm afraid that as much of an amazing doctor Chopper is, he could do nothing more without any Kudzu Root. I am resistant to most common poisons, so while I was sick for a few days, my body fought it off eventually. Sanji, on the other hand, has accumulated a high resistance to light poisons for reasons I'm not aware of. If I had to guess, though, I'd have to say it had to do with his work experience at the Baratie."

Chopper stared at the tall, dark-haired woman, stunned. That was the reason they were able to walk around when the rest were bedridden? Still bedridden, Chopper thought bitterly, as they were recovering from the stress of fighting off poison for days.

The reindeer was still berating himself even now. He couldn't believe he had made such a mistake. To mistake poison for an illness. He had to be much more careful in the future.

"I see," the elder said. "In that case, I will leave a basket of Kudzu root here, just in case your cook has not completely recovered."

Chopper nodded. "Thank you so much, mister! This was so helpful!"

"I was wondering, Elder," Robin stated in that roundabout way she had a habit of doing, "what this deal you and our crew mates have struck. Would you mind telling us?"

The elder nodded, but before he could get a word out, a cry of joy sounded form the forest.

"ROBIN!"

Chopper's heart skipped a beat, suddenly finding tears of happiness gushing out of his eyes. He knew that voice. Peeking over the railing of the Thousand Sunny, Chopper spied three figures. One, the tall, blonde chef, walked nonchalantly, hands in his pockets. Next to him was the hulking form of the Strawhat's very own swordsman. On his back was the grinning captain.

The radiance of Luffy's smile was so bright it practically blinded the reindeer. Chopper didn't dare look away, a light feeling settling in his limbs. Seeing that smile after a week of darkness, the world seemed to right itself. Luffy's dazzling grin brought a peace to Chopper that he hadn't realized he had lost.

Raising a hoof to wave at his crew mates, Chopper smiled back. "Luffy! Zoro! Sanji!"

"CHOPPER!" Luffy yelled, looking for all the world like he could just sprint to the ship to hug his fuzzy little friend.

Chopper turned back to Robin, giddy smile plastered on his face. It faltered when he realized that she was right next to him, grim face looking down at the approaching trio.

"What is it?" Chopper asked quietly.

"Why is Zoro carrying Luffy?"

Chopper's joy skips and then shatters at the historian's question. He looked back down at Luffy with new eyes. With his relief gone, his doctor half could take in everything that he had missed before. Eyes rove over cuts and bruises that Luffy shouldn't be able to acquire. The sheer exhaustion isn't surprising since Chopper knew the teen hadn't been eating nor sleeping well, but he's frozen in fear as recognizes the signs that shouldn't be there. Because Luffy's been reckless again, and after two years, hadn't Luffy figured out that sacrificing himself for his friends wasn't the way to fight a strong opponent?

And it could only have been a strong opponent because why else would Luffy use both gears at once. Chopper idly wondered why he hadn't heard any of the fighting if Luffy was using his third gear. Surely there must have been collateral damage. But there hasn't been a peep heard from the island since those wolves the night before.

When the trio boarded the Sunny, Chopper ran to the injured teen and immediately began treatment, blubbering on about how much of an idiot Luffy is for endangering himself like that.

"You're so stupid sometimes, Luffy," Chopper berated while tears flowed freely. "Why don't you use that head of yours sometimes?"

Luffy laughed jovially but said nothing, that grin still very much present on the young face. Chopper thanked Robin for bringing over his medical bag and began to take out the bandages and disinfectants he knows he'll need to use. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Robin urges Zoro and Sanji to take some precautions and drink the remedy that Chopper and the villagers had prepared to battle the effects of the poison.

"Like hell I'm going to drink that stuff," Zoro immediately argued, but Robin didn't give any room for dispute when she all but forced it down his throat. Sanji, perhaps looking a little pale, eagerly took his share from Robin and downed the contents before the woman even had a chance to offer it to him.

Chopper turned his attention back to Luffy. He had dozed off, too exhausted to even stay awake long enough to finish the examination. Chopper sighed, but smiled, feeling a little better than he had moments before.

"Luffy," Chopper called, prodding the rubber teen's arm. "I need to ask you something."

Maybe he looked a little sad while looking into Luffy's face, but Luffy didn't question him, instead just sitting up straighter and looking at Chopper in askance. "What's up, Chopper?"

"Did you use both gears?" the reindeer asked. Because he needs to know if Luffy had caused himself danger like Chopper thought he did.

"Both gears? You mean at the same time? Like at Thriller Bark?" Luffy asked. Chopper only nodded. He held his breath, feeling like answering Luffy's question verbally would cause him to have to release it. If he did that, then he wouldn't be able to catch it when Luffy answered his question like he thought he would. Fortunately for Chopper's sanity, the teen shook his head, grimacing. "Nah. I was going to, but I felt too tired. I used second gear a little too long, though. And Haki."

And Chopper exhaled, finally finding some sort of real balance in his world. He found himself grounded now, knowing the damage wasn't going to be as bad as he first thought. But that didn't mean what Luffy did was right. While Haki wasn't necessarily all too harmful to the body, second gear, if used too long, could lead to heart problems. Luffy already put enough strain on his heart as is.

"Luffy-"

"YOHOHOHOHOHO!"

Chopper squeaked in surprise, turning to see Brook in the doorway to the men's cabin, looking exactly the same as always. Afro? Check. Guitar? Never left his fingers. All bones? Yep, Brook was still a skeleton.

Franky walked out next, yelling a oud "SUPER!" and doing his signature pose. The giant robot was loudly yelling about how he had a "SUPER" great nap after he took the antidote.

Usopp came after Franky, shuddering. The sniper was still pale, but looked much better than he had the day before. The man looked surprised to see the villagers aboard the ship, but Chopper didn't blame him. The sniper had been half-asleep when he had been administered the antidote.

"What the hell is with all the-? Luffy?" Nami barged out of the girls' cabin, looking like she could murder someone. The redhead had been the first to be administered the antidote as she had been faring the worst against the poison's affects.

Luffy's face lit up again at the sight of his crew, even though Chopper had already sworn that Luffy couldn't manage looking any happier than he already looked. His crew filed out of the cabins and suddenly, everyone gathered around. Even the elder, who Chopper hadn't realized was still onboard, knelt down next to the captain.

The elder put a grateful hand on Luffy's shoulder. "I guess you kept your end of the bargain."

Luffy nodded firmly. "He's defeated and he won't be causing you any more problems. Tobio captured him."

The elder smiled, taking a calming breath. "Thank you so much, Strawhat Luffy."

"What do you mean you couldn't find Corvi!" Chopper heard a little girl squeal. Chopper threw his gaze to where Zoro knelt next to a little girl, a rare sympathetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry Maki, but we couldn't find him. We looked all over, but he wasn't on the island," Zoro said.

"Corvi?" Robin asked, looking at the two with an odd gleam in her eyes. "Could this Corvi happen to be a white dog?"

Maki spun to face Robin, a hopeful look in those molten gold eyes. "Do you know where he is?"

Robin smiled at the little girl, nodding. Swiftly, she left, returning moments later with a white, furry dog in her arms. Maki squealed in delight, taking the dog from the archaeologist. "Corvi!" she yelled.

Next to him, Luffy started to laugh, taking in the scene with warm, loving eyes. The gaze moved to meet Chopper's own.

"It's good to have friends, don't you think?"


End file.
